List of butterflies of New Zealand

The butterflies of New Zealand include twelve endemic species, as well as several introduced and migrant species. Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths, is the third largest insect order in New Zealand.

Species list

Scientific name	Local English name	Māori name	Native/introduced/migrant	Conservation status
Catopsilia pomona	lemon emigrant		very rare migrant
Pieris rapae	white butterfly	pepe mā	introduced
Lycaena boldenarum White, 1862	boulder copper	pepe para riki	native, endemic
Lycaena salustius	common copper	pepe para riki	native, endemic
Lycaena feredayi	glade copper	pepe para riki	native, endemic
Lycaena rauparaha	Rauparaha's copper	mokarakare	native, endemic
Lampides boeticus	long-tailed blue		native
Zizina otis labradus	common blue	pepe ao uri	native or possibly introduced
Zizina oxleyi	southern blue		native, endemic
Tirumala hamata hamata	Australian blue tiger		very rare migrant
Danaus plexippus	monarch	kahuku	native
Danaus petilia	lesser wanderer		rare migrant
Junonia villida calybe Godart, 1819	Australian meadow argus		very rare migrant
Hypolimnas bolina nerina	blue moon		regular migrant
Vanessa itea	yellow admiral	kahu kōwhai	native
Vanessa gonerilla gonerilla	red admiral	kahu kura	native, endemic
Vanessa gonerilla ida	Chatham Island red admiral	kahu kura	native, endemic
Vanessa kershawi	Australian painted lady	pepe parahua	regular migrant
Melanitis leda bankia	evening brown		very rare migrant
Percnodaimon merula	black mountain ringlet	pepe pouri	native, endemic
Erebiola butleri Fereday, 1879	Butler's ringlet	pepe pouri	native, endemic
Dodonidia helmsii Butler, 1884	forest ringlet	pepe pouri te pēpepe pōuri	native, endemic	serious decline
Argyrophenga antipodum Doubleday, 1845	common tussock		native, endemic
Argyrophenga harrisi Craw, 1978	Harris's tussock		native, endemic
Argyrophenga janitae Craw, 1978	Janita's tussock		native, endemic

Conservation

Very little is known about any butterfly extinctions since human settlement of New Zealand since they leave few remains. The majority of New Zealand invertebrates are found in forests, so it is possible that some butterflies became extinct due to the large scale forest clearance after human settlement.

Very occasional migrants

Apart from the rare but consistent sightings of Australian migrant butterflies, several other species have also been recorded on the island over the years.

Species	Location	Date	Method of introduction
Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae)	Lincoln, Canterbury	13 August 2019	Unknown
Blue triangle (Graphium choredon)	Prebbleton, Canterbury	15 March 2017	Unknown/wind current
Asian swallowtail (Papilio xuthus)	Dunedin, Auckland	1996, 2011, 2016	Importation of citrus trees, importation of cars
Black Jezebel (Delias nigrina)	Waikaia, Southland	January 2010	Unknown/wind current
Common Mormon (Papilio polytes)	Westshore, Hawkes Bay	22 January 2014	Likely importation of citrus/curry leaf plants

The small tortoiseshell, which is a butterfly native to Eurasia, was spotted near Lincoln University, Canterbury, on 13 August 2019, though the method of its introduction remains unknown.

The blue triangle, most likely from Australia, appeared in a Prebbleton garden feeding on aster flowers on 15 March 2017, likely carried by wind currents.
The Asian swallowtail has been recorded in Dunedin in 1996, when a pupa emerged on a car which had recently been imported from Japan. Two further sightings were made in Auckland in 2011 and 2016, likely from the importation of citrus trees.
The black Jezebel was seen in Waikaia, Southland, after it was rescued from a spider web in January 2010, with its arrival also attributed to wind currents or unknown factors.
The common Mormon was seen in the Westshore suburb of Napier, Hawke's Bay on 22 January 2014. The specimen resembled subspecies from Malaysia and Hong Kong. It is attributed to shipping of citrus or curry leaf plants.

Other species of Lepidoptera, such as saturniid moths have been sighted due to similar causes.