PAPILIONOIDEA

The superfamily 'Papilionoidea' (from the word "papilion", meaning "butterfly") contains all the butterflies except for the skippers, which are classified in superfamily Hesperioidea, and the moth-like Hedyloidea.
A proposed phylogenetic position of the Papilionoidea is as follows:^[1]
Some authors treat this group as a series 'Papilioniformes' within a single superfamily that also includes the skippers. However not all authors agree that all the butterflies constitute a single clade. The skippers are significantly different from the other butterflies. The members of the Papilionoidea may be distinguished by the following combination of characters:

★ the body is smaller and less moth-like.

★ the wings are larger.

★ the antennae are straight and clubbed (rather than hooked as in the skippers).

★ the caterpillars do not spin cocoons to pupate in.

★ the pupae are angular rather than rounded.

Contents

Families of Papilionoidea

Families of Papilionoidea

The traditional families of Papilionoidea are:

★ Swallowtails and Birdwings, Papilionidae

★ Whites or Yellow-Whites, Pieridae

★ Blues and Coppers or Gossamer-Winged Butterflies, Lycaenidae

★ Metalmark butterflies, Riodinidae

★ Brush-footed butterflies, Nymphalidae which now contain the following :

★
★ the Browns (formerly the family Satyridae).

★
★ the Danaids (formerly the family Danaidae).

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★ the Heliconids (formerly the family Heliconidae).

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★ the Amathusiids (formerly the family Amathusiidae).

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★ the Snout butterflies (formerly the family Libytheidae).

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★ the Limenitidids (formerly the family Limenitididae)

★
★ other subfamilies traditionally part of family Nymphalidae.