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Anthocharis lanceolata

(Gray Marble)

Overview

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Vulnerable

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Gray Marble

Description

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Family Pieridae

'The Pieridae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Worldwide in distribution, most species are found in the tropics. Adults have medium to small wings that are white, yellow, or orange, with some black or red, and many have hidden ultraviolet patterns that are used in courtship . Species with more than one generation usually have distinct seasonal variation in appearance . Adults of all species visit flowers for nectar, and adults of both sexes have three pairs of walking legs . Males patrol in search of receptive mates, and females lay columnar eggs on leaves, buds, and stems. The majority of caterpillars of North American whites and sulphurs feed on legumes or crucifers (members of the Mustard family ). Typically, temperate species overwinter in the pupal or larval stage , while tropical species overwinter as adults.

'[1]

Subfamily Pierinae

Whites, marbles, and orangetips are members of the Family Pieridae. In North America, 31 species are included . Adults of most species are predominantly white above with some black pattern elements , and their hindwings often have a pattern of yellow and black scales that appear green. Sexes of most species are only slightly dimorphic , though male orangetips have bright orange wingtips. Nearly all adults are avid flower visitors. The males of almost all North American species patrol open, sunny habitats for females, although males of some tropical whites (e.g. Mexican Dartwhite) perch along ravines . Caterpillars of most western whites feed on mustards, though some use capers and others, pineneedles. All species overwinter in the chrysalis stage, and some orangetips and marbles may pass several unfavorable years in the chrysalis stage before hatching .[2]

Physical Description

Species Anthocharis lanceolata

Forewing slightly pointed , outer margin concave . Top and bottom of forewing white with black cell spot and black margin at tip . Underside of hindwing with dark veins, dense gray marbling, and a white blotch underneath the costal margin. (ref. 105570)

Color:

Forewing slightly pointed , outer margin concave . Top and bottom of forewing white with black cell spot and black margin at tip . Underside of hindwing with dark veins, dense gray marbling, and a white blotch underneath the costal margin.

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 1 1/2 - 2 inches (3.8 - 5 cm).

Habitat

Rocky canyons , draws , forest openings.

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Rock cress (Arabis species) and other mustard family (Brassicaceae) plants . Adult food: Flower nectar including rock cress.

Reproduction

Males patrol in valleys or draws for females. Females lay eggs singly on host plant flowers and leaves; caterpillars prefer to feed on flowers and fruits. Chrysalids hibernate.

Behavior

Flight: One flight from March-June.

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Comment: LT ([f], Lorquin leg .)

Last scrutiny: 08-Feb-2007

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Anthocharis

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 19 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. belia (Morocco Orange Tip) · A. belia belia (Morocco Orange Tip) · A. cardamines (Orange Tip) · A. cardamines cardamines (Orange Tip) · A. cethura (Desert Orangetip) · A. cethura catalina (Catalina Orange Tip) · A. cethura cethura (Felder's Orange Tip) · A. damone (Eastern Orange Tip) · A. euphenoides (Provence Orange-Tip) · A. julia (Southern Rocky Mountain Orangetip) · A. lanceolata (Gray Marble) · A. lanceolata desertolimbus (Gray Marble) · A. midea (Falcate Orangetip) · A. midea annickae (Falcate Orangetip) · A. sara (Pacific Orangetip) · A. sara alaskensis (Alaskan Orange Tip) · A. stella (Stella Orangetip) · A. stella browningi (Browning's Orange Tip) · A. thoosa (Southwestern Orangetip)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=15&sci=Pieridae&com=Whites and Sulphurs [back]
  2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Creusa&search=Search [back]
Last Revised: 7/16/2012