Overview
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Vulnerable |
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Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Western Sulphur
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]
Physical Description
Species Colias occidentalis
Upperside of male bright yellow with wide black border ; orange morph is orange with yellow at costa and wing bases . Female pale yellow to greenish white with border blurry, incomplete , or absent; orange morph dull orange with wide black borders and dark veins. Underside of both sexes with pink wing fringes and golden yellow hindwing ; orange morph green-gray to orange; both with dark overscales. (ref. 105575)
Color:
Upperside of male bright yellow with wide black border ; orange morph is orange with yellow at costa and wing bases . Female pale yellow to greenish white with border blurry, incomplete , or absent; orange morph dull orange with wide black borders and dark veins. Underside of both sexes with pink wing fringes and golden yellow hindwing ; orange morph green-gray to orange; both with dark overscales.
Size/Age/Growth
Wing span : 1 3/4 - 2 1/2 inches (4.5 - 6.3 cm).
Habitat
Open areas including meadows, sagebrush flats, conifer forest openings, power-line cuts .
Biology
Diet
Caterpillar hosts: Plants of the pea family (Fabaceae) including vetch (Vicia angustifolia ), sweet vetch (Hedysarum), lupines (Lupinus), and white sweet clover (Melilotus alba). Adult food: Flower nectar.
Reproduction
Males patrol in valleys or open areas near host plants for females. Females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves. Late-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Behavior
Flight: May-August, mainly June-July.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
()
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
()
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
()
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
()
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
()
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
()
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
()
- Superorder:
Panorpida
()
- Order:
Lepidoptera
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
()
- Family:
Pieridae
()
- Whites and Yellows (Sulphurs)
- Subfamily:
Coliadinae
()
- Subfamily:
Coliadinae
(
- Family:
Pieridae
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Superorder:
Panorpida
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 08-Feb-2007
Similar Species
Members of the genus Colias
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 56 species and subspecies in this genus:
C. alexandra (Queen Alexandra's Sulphur) · C. alexandra alexandra (Queen Alexandra's Sulphur) · C. alfacariensis (Berger's Clouded Yellow) · C. aurorina (Dawn Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. aurorina aurorina (Dawn Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. behri (Sierra Green Sulfur Butterfly) · C. behrii (Sierra Sulphur) · C. canadensis (Canadian Sulphur) · C. caucasica (Balkan Clouded Yellow) · C. cesonia (Dog Face) · C. chippewa (Heath Sulphur) · C. christina (Christina Sulphur) · C. christina christina (Christina Sulphur) · C. christina kluanensis (Kluane Sulphur) · C. chrysotheme (Lesser Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. crocea (Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. croceus (Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. erate (Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow) · C. eurytheme (Alfalfa Butterfly) · C. gigantea (Giant Sulphur) · C. gigantea gigantea (Giant Sulphur) · C. gigantea harroweri (Southern Giant Sulphur) · C. harfordii (Harford's Sulphur) · C. hecla (Hecla Sulphur) · C. hecla hecla (Artic Sulphur) · C. hecla hela (Hela Sulphur) · C. hyale (Pale Clouded Yellow) · C. interior (Pink-Edged Sulphur) · C. johanseni (Johansen's Sulphur) · C. meadii (Mead's Sulphur) · C. meadii elis (Elis Sulphur) · C. myrmidone (Danube Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. myrmidone myrmidone (Danube Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. nastes (Labrador Sulphur) · C. nastes aliaska (Alaskan Arctic Sulphur) · C. nastes moina (Manitoba Arctic Sulphur) · C. nastes nastes (Labrador Sulphur) · C. nastes streckeri (Strecker's Arctic Sulphur) · C. nastes werdandi (Nastes Sulphur) · C. occidentalis (Western Sulphur) · C. occidentalis chrysomelas (Golden Sulphur) · C. occidentalis pseudochristina (Western Sulphur) · C. palaeno (Palaeno Sulphur) · C. palaeno chippewa (Chippewa Sulphur) · C. palaeno palaeno (Moorland Clouded Yellow Butterfly) · C. pelidne (Pelidne Sulphur) · C. pelidne pelidne (Pelidne Sulphur) · C. pelidne skinneri (Skinner's Pelidne Sulphur) · C. phicomone (Mountain Clouded Yellow) · C. philodice (Clouded Sulfur) · C. philodice philodice (Clouded Sulphur) · C. philodice vitabunda (Lively Clouded Sulphur) · C. scudderi (Scudder's Sulphur) · C. scudderii (Scudder's Sulphur) · C. tyche (Booth's Sulphur) · C. tyche thula (Thula Sulphur)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- A manual of North American butterflies by Charles J. Maynard. Boston: De Wolfe, Fiske, 1891. url .
- Annual report / Entomological Society of Ontario. Toronto, The Society. url p. 84, p. 85.
- Entomological news, and proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia[Entomological Rooms of the Academy of Natural Sciences] url , .
- Guide to the study of insects and a treatise on those injurious and beneficial to crops, for the use of colleges, farm-schools, and agriculturists, by Alpheus S. Packard, M.D. With fifteen plates and six hundred and seventy wood-cuts. New York, H. Holt and Company;1889. url p. 690.
- Guide to the study of insects, and a treatise on those injurious and beneficial to crops: for the use of colleges, farm-schools, and agriculturists / by A. S. Packard, jr. Salem, Mass.: Naturalist's agency, 1874. url p. 690.
- Guide to the study of insects: and a treatise on those injurious and beneficial to crops for the colleges, farm-schools, and agriculturists. New York: Henry Holt, 1889. url p. 690.
- Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. 1993 Lawrence, Kan.: The University, 1971-1994. url p. 5, p. 9.
- Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History. Boston [etc.]Boston Society of Natural History. url p. 105, p. 107, p. 109.
- Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 456.
- Synopsis of North American butterflies. By William H. Edwards. .. Philadelphia, The American Entomological Society, 1872; text reprinted. Boston: Houghton, Osgood and Company, 1879. url .
- The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology being a continuation of the Annals combined with Loudon and Charlesworth's Magazine of Natural History. London, Taylor and Francis, Ltd. url p. 13.
- The Entomologist. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., [1877- url p. 52.
- The Lepidopterists' news: the monthly newsletter of the Lepidopterists' Society. Cambridge, Mass.: Lepidopterists' Society, 1947-1958. url p. 90.
- The butterflies of North America William H. Edwards. Philadelphia: American Entomological Society, 1868-1872 url .
- The standard natural history / edited by John Sterling Kingsley. Boston: S.E. Cassino, 1884-85. url p. 494.
- The standard natural history. Boston, S. E. Cassino and Company, 1884-85. url .
- The standard natural history. Ed. by John Sterling Kingsley. Boston, S.E. Cassino and company, 1884-85. url p. 494.
- Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. London, The Society. url p. 17.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
- GloBIS (GART): Global Butterfly Information System. Release date: November 23, 2008
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 26, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.
- 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).
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 26, 2008:
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Canadian National Collection (CNC) of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Crispin S. Guppy Collection
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lyman Entomological Museum
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum Entomology Collection
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal Ontario Museum: Entomology
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Spencer Entomological Museum
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2631187
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Gar-1955
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEPA8040
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 172348
Footnotes
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=15&sci=Pieridae&com=Whites and Sulphurs [back]
