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Butterflies
of the World - Lifecycle, Ecology, Taxonomy, Conservation,
Photography, Butterfly Holidays, Photo Galleries, Book Reviews and
more.........
Butterfly Study Holidays
Trip Reports
Butterfly Diary - latest sightings Where to find butterflies Frequently Asked Questions Test Your Knowledge Strange but true ! Taxonomy & Evolution Anatomy Lifecycle Ecology Survival Strategies The Enemies of Butterflies Migration & Dispersal Habitats in Britain Rainforests World Butterfly Census Butterfly Books Butterfly Art Gallery Butterfly photography Butterflies of the British Isles Butterflies of the French Alps Butterflies of Amazonia Butterflies of the Andes Butterflies of Malaysia & Borneo Butterflies of West Africa Species index Subject index Glossary
Text and photographs
protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins
2007, and must not be published
in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the
author.
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British Butterflies
- a history of English vernacular names
The butterfly known in Britain as the Camberwell Beauty, has at various times in history been known as the Grand Surprise, the Willow Beauty, the White Petticoat, and in the USA is known as the Mourning Cloak. Two butterflies, known to early entomologists as the Selvedged Heath Eye and the Golden Heath Eye, were later discovered to be the male and female of a single species which then became known as the Gatekeeper, but is now known as the Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus. The name Gatekeeper is now applied to an entirely different species Pyronia tithonus, which was previously called the Hedge Brown, and in earlier days was also known as the Hedge Eye, or Large Heath. However the butterfly which we now know as the Large Heath is yet another species - Coenonympha tullia - previously known as the Manchester Argus, or Marsh Ringlet. Click here to see some interesting and amusing names given to foreign butterflies.The instability of English names, and the fact that creatures have entirely different names in other countries, is one of the reasons why Linnaeus invented a system of classifying all animals and plants by scientific names. Below is a chart giving the former names of British butterflies :.
Foreign butterflies
All North American butterflies have been given English names, as have the butterflies of Australia. In the 19th century, butterfly collecting was a favourite pastime of British Army officers, who gave English names to many of the butterflies found in the countries where they served, e.g. Malaya, Ceylon, India and East Africa. Consequently many butterflies in these countries have names connected with the armed forces - examples include the Commodores, Commander, Soldiers, and Lancers. The majority of names however are purely descriptive, hence Desert White, Orange-spotted Skipper etc. The table below lists a few of the more fascinating or amusing names given to butterflies from around the world, some of which have obvious derivations, while others, such as the Foolish Swift, seen totally baffling :
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