Ninety percent species of butterflies can be found in the tropics. Southeast Asia has one of the highest Lepidopteran biodiversity in the world, while over 1,200 species of butterflies reside in Malaysia. Despite high Lepidopteran diversity, there is still little knowledge on the butterfly distribution in the islands of Southeast Asia. The aim of this study was to generate species data for butterflies at the islands of Pulau Perhentian Besar and Pulau Bidong in Terengganu region, Malaysia. The collected data will be a foundation for long-term monitoring, future research and a species guideline for tourism. The faunistic composition of Rhopalocera was studied by using 20 baited traps in which 10 baited traps were set at the canopy level and another 10 baited traps were set in the understorey for seven days on each island. The baited traps at the understory and canopy level were set on selected trees at 1 m and 15 m above the ground respectively, and left to function from 0800 hours to 1700 hours. Ripe pineapples were used as bait to attract butterflies. Aerial netting along one kilometre of line transects were also conducted for catching butterflies. A total of 26 species of butterflies from four families were caught during the sampling period. Butterfly population on small islands may be particularly susceptible to environmental and stochastic changes. Thus, development and land clearing should be strictly controlled to prevent further loss of flora and fauna such as endangered tree species and endemic butterflies of the islands.