What do you call someone who studies butterflies?

Lepidopterist is a term for an individual who studies butterflies professionally. A lepidopterist is interested in butterflies and possibly moths and may explore such interests by constructing collections to studying the insects through molecular biology.

Another term for a lepidopterist is an Aurelian. These individuals study Lepidoptera, an order consisting of moths and various families of butterflies, including skipper or moth butterflies. Aside from collectors and formal scholars, the term includes hobbyists as well as individuals who observe the insects. The term Aurelian is an older term for lepidopterist and may stem from the golden color a chrysalis achieves shortly before the butterfly emerges.