#2645 · 🦋 butterflies & moths
Purple Emperor
🇳🇱 Grote Weerschijnvlinder ·Apatura iris
🦋 Butterflies & moths 📍 in the Netherlands
📍 Biezekamp, Groesbeek, Gelderland, NL
📍 Horsterwold, Zeewolde, Flevoland, NL
📍 Eys, Nederland
📍 6997 Hoog-Keppel, Nederland
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Luca Boscain · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © Paul Ritchie · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 3. © Gilles San Martin · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. © Michal Koupý · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. © Dominik Hofer · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 6. © Paul Ritchie · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 7. Biezekamp, Groesbeek, Gelderland, NL:© thomas_schuurman · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Horsterwold, Zeewolde, Flevoland, NL:© no rights reserved · CC0
- 9. Eys, Nederland:© Annika Tiane Vermaat · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. 6997 Hoog-Keppel, Nederland:© Chris van Swaay · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Apatura iris , the purple emperor , is a Eurasian butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 87 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 8,588 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Purple Emperor
- Nederlands
- Grote Weerschijnvlinder
- scientific name
- Apatura iris
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Lepidoptera
- family
- Nymphalidae
- sightings in NL
- 87
- sightings in Europe
- 7,543
- sightings worldwide
- 8,588
- GBIF records in NL
- 10,089
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
relatives· Nymphalidae
#2385 📷 8Red Admiral
🇳🇱 Atalanta
Vanessa atalanta
LC 👀 4.7k in NL
#2386 📷 9Speckled Wood
🇳🇱 Bont zandoogje
Pararge aegeria
👀 4.3k in NL
#2387 📷 10European Peacock Butterfly
🇳🇱 Dagpauwoog
Aglais io
👀 3.8k in NL
#2392 📷 10European Comma
🇳🇱 Gehakkelde Aurelia
Polygonia c-album
👀 2k in NL
#2395 📷 10Meadow Brown
🇳🇱 Bruin zandoogje
Maniola jurtina
👀 1.7k in NL
#2397 📷 9Painted Lady
🇳🇱 Distelvlinder
Vanessa cardui
LC 👀 1.6k in NL
#2399 📷 9Map
🇳🇱 Landkaartje
Araschnia levana
👀 1.4k in NL
#2402 📷 9Small Tortoiseshell
🇳🇱 Kleine vos
Aglais urticae
👀 1.2k in NL
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 343324, Wikidata Q30982, GBIF 5131910, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.