Pieridae

The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. These butterflies are characterised by mainly white or yellow coloration, often with black spots. The sexes usually differ, often in the pattern or number of the black markings.

The larvae (caterpillars) of a few of these species feed on brassicas, and are agricultural pests.

Males of many species exhibit gregarious mud-puddling behavior when they may imbibe salts from moist soils.

Classification

The Pieridae have the radial vein on the forewing with 3 or 4 branches and rarely with 5 branches. The fore legs are well developed in both sexes, unlike in the Nymphalidae, and the tarsal claws are bifid unlike in the Papilionidae.

Like the Papilionidae, Pieridae also have their pupae held at an angle by a silk girdle, but running at the first abdominal segment unlike the thoracic girdle seen in the Papilionidae.

Subfamilies

The Pieridae are generally divided into the following four subfamilies:

• Dismorphiinae (6 genera) Mostly Neotropical, this group includes several mimetical species. The host plants are in the family Fabaceae.
• Pierinae (55 genera) Whites, Yellow, Orange-tips, many of these species are strongly migratory. Host plants are in the families Capparidaceae, Brassicaceae, Santalaceae, and Loranthaceae.
• Coliadinae (14 genera) (Sulphurs or Yellows, many of these species are sexually dimorphic. Some, such as Colias, have wing patterns that are visible only under ultraviolet.
• Pseudopontiinae The sole species in this subfamily, Pseudopontia paradoxa, is endemic to West Africa.

According to the molecular phylogenetic study of Braby et al. (2006), sister group relationships among Pieridae subfamilies are: ((Dismorphiinae+Pseudopontiinae)+(Coliadinae+Pierinae)).

Some popular species

• Brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni
• California dogface butterfly, Zerene eurydice
• Catalina Orangetip, Anthocharis cethura catalina
• Cloudless Sulphur, Phoebis sennae
• Clouded Yellow, Colias croceus
• Orange Tip, Anthocharis cardamines

Some pest species

• Colias eurytheme, Alfalfa butterfly or Orange Sulphur
• Colias philodice, Common or Clouded Sulphur
• Pieris rapae, Cabbage White
• Pieris brassicae, Large White or Cabbage White

External links

• TOL
• Pteron In Japanese but binomial names 3 pages of images. Tip Next page.
• Holarctic Pieridae
• Pontia protodice, checkered white on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site

References

• Braby, M. F. 2005. Provisional checklist of genera of the Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). Zootaxa 832: 1–16.
• Braby, M., R. Vila, and N. E. Pierce. 2006. Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea: higher classification and biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 147(2): 239-275.

See also

• List of butterflies of India (Pieridae)
• List of British butterflies