Catasticta nimbice (Mexican Dartwhite)

Common Names

Common Names in English:

Mexican Dartwhite

Description

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 Catasticta nimbice

This atypical white looks more like a brushfoot.

Upperside cream-tan with thick black veins; wide black outer margins surrounding cream-colored spots. (ref. 105519)

Color:

Upperside cream-tan with thick black veins; wide black outer margins surrounding cream-colored spots.

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 inches (4.5 - 5.7 cm).

Habitat

Semi-deciduous mountain forests , forest edges, streamsides

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Parasitic mistletoes - Phoradendron velutinum in Costa Rica. Adult food: Nectar from Fuscia, Lantana, and Senecio in Costa Rica.

Caterpillar hosts: Parasitic mistletoes - Phoradendron velutinum in Costa Rica. (ref. 105519)

Reproduction

Males perch and patrol for females. Caterpillars feed in groups. Pupae are found in groups on tree trunks and look like bird droppings.

Behavior

Flight: All year in Mexico.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Protostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa () - Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Superphylum: Panarthropoda () - Cuvier
        Phylum: Arthropoda () - Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
        Subphylum: Mandibulata () - Snodgrass, 1938
        Infraphylum: Atelocerata () - Heymons, 1901
        Superclass: Panhexapoda ()
        Epiclass: Hexapoda ()
        Class: Insecta () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
        Subclass: Dicondylia ()
        Infraclass: Pterygota ()
        Cohort: Myoglossata ()
        Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera ()
        Order: Lepidoptera () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
        Infraorder: Heteroneura ()
        Family: Pieridae () - Whites and Yellows
        Subfamily: Pierinae () - Whites
        Genus: Catasticta ()
        Specific name: nimbice - (Boisduval, 1836)
        Scientific name: - Catasticta nimbice (Boisduval, 1836)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Catasticta

There are approximately 246 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

C. acomayo · C. actinotis · C. aequatorialis · C. affinis · C. albescens · C. albina · C. albofasciata · C. alcyone · C. alma · C. amastris · C. amba · C. ana · C. anaitis · C. angulifera · C. apaturina · C. apollinari · C. arborardens · C. arechiza · C. argolis · C. ariadne · C. aureomaculata · C. avinoffi · C. bamba · C. barbara · C. bithyna · C. bithys · C. blanca · C. boliviana · C. bouvieri · C. browni · C. bryson · C. butleria · C. carpis · C. caucana · C. cellona · C. cerberus · C. chelalba · C. chelaura · C. chelidonides · C. chelidonis · C. chiricana · C. chrysolopha · C. cinerea · C. citra · C. clara · C. colla · C. collina · C. confusa · C. contrasta · C. cora · C. corcyra · C. crowleyi · C. ctemene · C. dentata · C. detrita · C. dilutior · C. discalba · C. distincta · C. duida · C. dusca · C. ecuadora · C. emeris · C. epimene · C. eudoica · C. eurigania · C. eximia · C. feldera · C. ferra · C. flava · C. flavifasciata · C. flavomaculata · C. flisa (Narrow-Banded Dartwhite) · C. flisandra · C. flisa flisa · C. flisella · C. flisina · C. forbesia · C. frontina · C. fuliginosa · C. fulva · C. gabrieli · C. ganymedes · C. gelba · C. germainia · C. giga · C. goodsoni · C. grisea · C. grossana · C. hammurabi · C. hanna · C. hebra · C. hegemon · C. helle · C. hermione · C. hollandi · C. hopfferi · C. huancabambensis · C. huanuco · C. huebneri · C. hypoleuca

More Info

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Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Notes

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Contributors

Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. March 26, 2007.
Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version of April 17, 2009).

Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2603217
Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-174170.0
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1580549

Footnotes

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