# Small heath (*Coenonympha pamphilus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/coenonympha-pamphilus  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It is placed in the order Lepidoptera, superfamily Papilionoidea, subfamily Satyrinae, tribe Satyrini and genus Coenonympha. The species was named by Linnaeus in 1758 and is also called the small heath butterfly.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 2.2 cm – 3.3 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Nectarivore |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, human_modified, shrubland, wetland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| On the wing | February to November |
| Generations a year | Several |
| Larval food plants | Poaceae family |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Nymphalidae
- genus: Coenonympha
- species: *Coenonympha pamphilus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Coenonympha addenda*, *Coenonympha aestivalis*, *Coenonympha alba*, *Coenonympha albata*, *Coenonympha albula*, *Coenonympha amaryllides*, *Coenonympha antelatecana*, *Coenonympha antelyllus*, *Coenonympha antipunctata*, *Coenonympha arenosa*, *Coenonympha asiaemontium*, *Coenonympha atlantea*, *Coenonympha australis*, *Coenonympha balearica*, *Coenonympha barcinonis*, *Coenonympha bicolor*, *Coenonympha biocellata*, *Coenonympha bipertita*, *Coenonympha bipunctata*, *Coenonympha bipupillata*, *Coenonympha caeca*, *Coenonympha caecaella*, *Coenonympha centralasiae*, *Coenonympha centralis*, *Coenonympha corinnaeformis*, *Coenonympha detersa*, *Coenonympha eburnea*, *Coenonympha emiaustralis*, *Coenonympha emilyllus*, *Coenonympha eupompus*, *Coenonympha euxina*, *Coenonympha ferghana*, *Coenonympha ferrea*, *Coenonympha fulvolactea*, *Coenonympha galvagnii*, *Coenonympha gardetta*, *Coenonympha gigas*, *Coenonympha havelaari*, *Coenonympha hispana*, *Coenonympha impupillata*, *Coenonympha infraaestivalis*, *Coenonympha infrarasa*, *Coenonympha juldusica*, *Coenonympha latecana*, *Coenonympha latenigrata*, *Coenonympha latevittata*, *Coenonympha lineigera*, *Coenonympha londinii*, *Coenonympha lyllides*, *Coenonympha lylliformis*, *Coenonympha major*, *Coenonympha marginata*, *Coenonympha maritima*, *Coenonympha menalcas*, *Coenonympha multipuncta*, *Coenonympha murina*, *Coenonympha neca*, *Coenonympha nephele*, *Coenonympha nigrita*, *Coenonympha nigromarginata*, *Coenonympha nitidissima*, *Coenonympha nolckeniana*, *Coenonympha nosalica*, *Coenonympha obsoleta*, *Coenonympha ocellata*, *Coenonympha orantia*, *Coenonympha pallescens*, *Coenonympha pallida*, *Coenonympha pamphile*, *Coenonympha pamphilus australis*, *Coenonympha pamphilus centralis*, *Coenonympha pamphilus f. rhoumensis*, *Coenonympha pamphilus lyllus*, *Coenonympha pamphilus rhoumensis*, *Coenonympha pamphilus sicula*, *Coenonympha postaustralis*, *Coenonympha postbarcinonis*, *Coenonympha postcentralis*, *Coenonympha postemiaustralis*, *Coenonympha posteuxina*, *Coenonympha postferrea*, *Coenonympha postgalvagnii*, *Coenonympha postlondinii*, *Coenonympha rhoumensis*, *Coenonympha scota*, *Coenonympha semilyllus*, *Coenonympha sicula*, *Coenonympha siculella*, *Coenonympha tardenota*, *Coenonympha thanatos*, *Coenonympha thyrsides*, *Coenonympha torrida*, *Coenonympha transiens*, *Coenonympha tunioti*, *Coenonympha unicolor*, *Coenonympha venata*, *Coenonympha virginalis*, *Papilio lyllus*, *Papilio pamphilus*, *Satyrus nephele*, *Satyrus pamphilus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the small heath?

The small heath is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, in the order Lepidoptera.

### What is the scientific name of the small heath?

Its scientific name is Coenonympha pamphilus.

### Who named the small heath and when?

It was named by Linnaeus in 1758, written as (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What family does the small heath belong to?

The small heath belongs to the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Satyrinae and tribe Satyrini.

### What is another name for the small heath?

It is also called the small heath butterfly.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/coenonympha-pamphilus