One of the largest families among butterflies, comprising over 5000 species. This family was previously split into many families (Satyridae, Danainae, and others) that were merged into one large family. In this family, the front legs are underdeveloped and are not used for walking; they are hairy and brush-shaped. Most species have fast flight and fly long distances. The upper side of the wings is colorful, whereas the underside is grayish brown, not conspicuous, and serves as camouflage when they are perched on branches or stones. Their wingspan is medium to large, and the larger species in the family reach up to nearly 200 mm (in the species of the Morpho and the Caligo which were formerly part of separate families). In most species, there is no pronounced sexual dimorphism. 
The egg is spherical or conical and has longitudinal ribs. Sometimes it is laid in groups. The larva is cylindrical, sometimes with tubercles all over its body and usually covered with bristles (emerging from the tubercles). In smooth species, "horns" are sometimes found on the larva's head. The pupa is of the hanging-pupa type (upside down and attached at its rear end to the substrate); in many cases it has protrusions and is sometimes metallic in color. In Israel and Sinai there are about 35 species (15 of them belong to the subfamily Satyrinae, Satyrinae ).

Orange-tipped charaxes Charaxes jasius	White admiral Limenitis reducta	Red admiral Vanessa atalanta
Painted lady Vanessa cardui	Southern comma Polygonia egea	Tobias's comma Polygonia c-album
Small tortoiseshell Aglais urticae	Cardinal Argynnis pandora	Niobe fritillary Argynnis niobe
Northern checkerspot Melitaea collina	Glanville fritillary Melitaea cinxia	Queen of Spain fritillary  Issoria lathonia
Fritillary of the Hermon Melitaea acentria	Ariel fritillary Melitaea ornata	Thistle fritillary Melitaea arduinna
Mullein fritillary Melitaea trivia	Desert checkerspot Melitaea deserticola	Lebanon fritillary Melitaea didyma