Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Giant 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 gigantea
Upper surface of male yellow with narrow black borders ; lower surface without submarginal black spots . Female with 2 forms, yellow or white; both may have black border reduced or lacking. (ref. 105585)
Color:
Upper surface of male yellow with narrow black borders ; lower surface without submarginal black spots . Female with 2 forms, yellow or white; both may have black border reduced or lacking.
Size/Age/Growth
Wing span : 2 - 2 3/4 inches (5.1 - 7 cm).
Habitat
Willow bogs .
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,125 meters (0 to 6,972 feet).[2]
Biology
Diet
Caterpillar hosts: Dwarf willow (Salix reticulata). Adult food: Flower nectar.
Reproduction
Third-stage caterpillars overwinter .
Behavior
Flight: One flight from 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
()
- Genus:
Colias
()
- Fabricius, 1807
- Specific name:
gigantea
- Strecker, 1900
- Scientific name: - Colias gigantea Strecker, 1900
- Specific name:
gigantea
- Strecker, 1900
- Genus:
Colias
(
- 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
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 2 providers.
- 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: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Butterflies and Skippers of Alberta Project
- 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: Donald F. Hooper Butterfly collection, Canada
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lepidopterists Society Season Summaries 1973-1997
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: M. Gollop Collection
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: New Brunswick Museum Collection
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Norbert Kondla Collection
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Northern Forestry Centre Arthropod Collection, Edmonton
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Ross A. Layberry Observations
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum Entomology Collection
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal Ontario Museum: Entomology
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal Saskatchewan Museum Collection
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Spencer Entomological Museum
- Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Saskatchewan
- University of Alberta: University of Alberta Lepidoptera Collection
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2631180
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Gar-1931
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEPA8120
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 172369
Footnotes
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=15&sci=Pieridae&com=Whites and Sulphurs [back]
- Mean = 594.520 meters (1,950.525 feet), Standard Deviation = 557.340 based on 246 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
