Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Anila Paparisto =
Sylvain Cuvelier =

Last update: 30.i.2025

11. Red List & the status of the Albanian butterflies in a broader European perspective

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, established in 1964, is a checklist of taxa that have undergone a risk assessment process using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria.
The list is a system for classifying species at high risk to becoming extinct and is a valuable indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity and a tool for protecting natural resources.

This classification divides species into 9 Categories (Fig. 1) which are as follows:

Extinct (EX) – beyond reasonable doubt that the species is no longer extant.
Extinct in the wild (EW) – survives only in captivity, cultivation and/or outside native range, as presumed after exhaustive surveys.
Critically endangered (CR) – in a particularly and extremely critical state.
Endangered (EN) – very high risk of extinction in the wild, meets any of criteria A to E for Endangered.
Vulnerable (VU) – meets one of the 5 red list criteria and thus considered to be at high risk of unnatural (human-caused) extinction without further human intervention.
Near threatened (NT) – close to being at high risk of extinction in the near future.
Least concern (LC) – unlikely to become extinct in the near future.
Data deficient (DD)
Not evaluated (NE)

Fig. 1. IUCN categories. Fig. 2. IUCN criteria.

5 criteria (Fig. 2) are used to evaluate if a taxon belongs in an IUCN Red List threatened category (VU, EN and CR).
Information on how to prepare Red List assessments (url)
----- Population reduction
----- Restricted geographic range
----- Small population size and decline
----- Very small or restricted population in addition to e
----- Extinction probability analysis.

Assessing species status based on IUCN criteria at national level is also crucial. (url)

The Butterfly Red List for Albania 2022.

Introduction.
In accordance with the national legal framework, the first national Red List of Albania was compiled and published in 2006 in a separate Red Book of Albanian flora and Red Book of Albanian fauna.
From the insects classified as threatened for Albania in the 2006 edition, 7 species are classified in the CR category; 5 EN species; 89 VU; 18 LC species and 6 DD species. From 125 insects 70 species belong to the Lepidoptera. 55 species are classified as VU; 3 Species CR and 2 species EN.
Five years later in 2012 the revision and update of the first red list started and was completed in 2013. The classification of species in the Albanian Red List was based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, In the first edition of the Red list of the Albanian fauna, 422 species belonging to different taxonomic categories were classified, of which 125 species belong to the class of Insects. The new updated national Red List was approved in December 2013 by Ministerial Order No. 1280, 20.11.2013
In the updated list of 2013 are listed 566 species from which 107 species of Class Insecta and 63 species of order Lepidoptera. In this list there are 2 EN species and 3 CR species.
Comparison Red List 2006 and Red List 2013.

Discussion
Based on data presented on the situation of the butterflies in Albania (url) and on research data presented in this website there is a new perspective (Table 1) on reviewing the Red List of Albanian and on the conservation of butterflies in Albania.
The review (url) and the new data on butterflies’ distribution in Albania (Atlas_2023) will help in different strategic directions to determine the objectives and how to build plans to accomplish them.
1. Filling the gaps in the distribution data.
-----The update shows the maps for all Albanian butterfly species with the many, remaining white areas that need further exploration.
2. Filling temporal gaps in the data.
-----This update gives a reviewed panorama on each species but there remains a lot to do about early species. There remains a lot to do in covering research on adults
-----from early spring to early autumn in all areas.
3. Building a new version of Prime Butterfly Areas in Albania.
----- Selecting sites for conservation and follow-up of the major taxa and areas, that will be identified by filling geographical and temporal gaps.
4. Gathering more objective data on the rare(r) taxa and the taxa at the limit of their distribution range.
----- They can be common taxa but protection of the taxa at the limit of its range is a priority.
5. Building a special program for species where Albania is the worldwide stronghold.
----- Pseudochazara amymone, Pseudochazara geyeri, Pseudochazara tisiphone and Polyommatus (aroaniensis) lurae are the best candidates to start a profound study of their
----- populations and ecology.
6. Selecting umbrella species for conservation efforts in Albania.
----- Some other taxa that are attractive and get a lot of attention linked to their beauty or special ecology (Parnassius apollo, Phengaris arion, Phengaris alcon, etc.)
----- bring support for protecting specific habitats and can be part of action plans aiming to protect biodiversity for Albania.
7. Choosing monitoring routes.
----- Selected routes will be run 3 times per year and continuously over many years, to estimate how some areas/butterflies in total and selected species are evolving in the future.

Table 1. Red List of the Albanian butterflies in a larger perspective (2022).
Adapted on 30.i.2025: the two new species for Albania, discovered since the publication of the 2022 Red List, have been added.
- H. morpheus: known from only a single locality, is classified as VU.
- Pelopidas thrax: a butterfly in expansion, was first recorded in 2024 and has not yet been evaluated (NE).
The nomenclature is based on Taymans & Cuvelier (2025).

Useful Links:

(pdf) (url) Taymans M. & Cuvelier S. 2025. A dynamic checklist of the Western Palearctic butterflies, hyperlinked to the original descriptions at species, genus and family level (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea). — Archives of Western Palearctic Lepidoptera 2025(1): 1-70.

(url) van Swaay et al. 2012. Dos and Don'ts for the butterflies of the Habitats Directive of the European Union. — Nature Conservation 1: 73-153. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.1.2786

(url) Habitats Directive. Council Directive 92/43EEC. 1992.

Contact