Alignment with the Checklist

The taxonomy of the butterflies of Britain and Ireland is defined in Checklist of the Lepidoptera of the British Isles; Agassiz, Beavan & Heckford (2013). This landmark publication has undergone a number of updates, namely Agassiz, Beavan & Heckford (2016a); Agassiz, Beavan & Heckford (2016b) and Agassiz, Beavan & Heckford (2020)

Errata

While the checklist has undergone a number of updates, a number of remaining minor errors remain, which have been addressed in the UK Butterflies website, and which have been passed on to the relevent body:

• p.57. 56.003. "machaon" should be shown as the nominate subspecies "machaon machaon" since other subspecies are mentioned.
• p.58. 58.003. "britannica" and "hibernica" should be shown as "cardamines britannica" and "cardamines hibernica" since these are subspecies and not synonyms.
• p.58. 58.013. "gravesi" should be shown as "rhamni gravesi" since it is a subspecies and not a synonym.
• p.60. 59.019. The nominate subspecies "aglaja aglaja" is given when there are no other subspecies (only a synonym) given.

Vernacular Names

The UK Butterflies website also refines some of the vernacular names given, in order to conform more closely with recent literature:

• The name "Apollo" is used over "Apollo or Crimson-ringed".
• The name "Monarch" is used over "Monarch or Milkweed".
• The name "Mountain Ringlet" is used over "Mountain Ringlet or Small Mountain Ringlet".
• The name "Gatekeeper" is used over "Gatekeeper or Hedge Brown".
• The name "Short-tailed Blue" is used over "Short-tailed Blue or Bloxworth Blue".
• The name "Shy Saliana" has been allocated to Saliana longirostris.
• The name "Lesser Purple Emperor" has been allocated to Apatura ilia.
• The name "Blue Spot Hairstreak" has been allocated to Satyrium spini.
• The name "Ilex Hairstreak" has been allocated to Satyrium ilicis.

Additions

The following additions have also been made since they are not specified in the checklist or its updates:

• The genus Danaus is shown within the tribe Danaini.
• The Woodland Grayling (Hipparchia fagi) is shown within the nominate subgenus Hipparchia.
• Weaver's Fritillary (Boloria dia) is shown within the subgenus Clossiana.
• The Great Spangled Fritillary (Argynnis cybele) is shown within the genus Speyeria, although this is not explicitly defined in the updates.
• The Purple-shot Copper (Lycaena alciphron gordius) also has the nominate subspecies (Lycaena alciphron alciphron) recognised.
• All questionable records (in Appendix B) have been placed in an appropriate taxonomic location, although this position is not specified in the checklist. In the case of the Slate Flash Rapala manea schistacea this also includes the introduction of the nominate subspecies Rapala manea manea when describing the authorities.
• Forms have been added for those species exhibiting sexual dimorphism, namely Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) and Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus).
• Forms have been added for those species exhibiting seasonal dimorphism, namely Comma (Polygonia c-album) and Map (Araschnia levana).
• Forms of Lesser Purple Emperor (Apatura ilia) have been recognised.

Omissions

The following items, present in the checklist, have been omitted:

• Réal's Wood White is omitted on the basis that this was originally included on the British list in error. It is unclear why this species is retained in the checklist.

Historic Subspecies and Forms

This link lists the subspecies, forms and unnamed races that have appeared in literature but are not included on UK Butterflies, since they are not included in the latest checklist.