Colias pelidne

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

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

Habitat

Arctic tundra , subarctic forest openings and meadows.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,875 meters (0 to 9,432 feet).[2]

Biology

Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Blueberry (Vaccinium species) and wintergreen (Gaultheria humifusa) in the heath family (Ericaceae). Adult food: Flower nectar.

Reproduction

Males patrol near blueberry and willows for females.

Behavior

Flight: One flight from late June-July.

Taxonomy

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

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Further Reading

• A manual of North American butterflies / by Charles J. Maynard. Illustrated with ten hand-colored plates, and many wood-cuts. 1891 Boston: De Wolfe, Fiske & Co., 1891. url p. 40.
• Butterflies and moths of Newfoundland and Labrador: the macrolepidoptera / [Ottawa]: Agriculture Canada, 1980. url p. 274, p. 306, p. 39.
• Catalogue of the collection of palæarctic butterflies formed by the late John Henry Leech, and presented to the trustees of the British museum by his mother, Mrs. Eliza Leech. By Richard South, F. E. S. London, Printed by order of the Trustees, 1902. url p. 159.
• Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. 1993 Lawrence, Kan.: The University, 1971-1994. url p. 5, p. 6, p. 9.
• Report of the Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913-18. Ottawa, F. A. Acland, Printer to the King, 1919- url .
• Reports. OttawaKing's Printer1917 url p. 9.
• Science-gossip. Berlin: R. Friedländer & Sohn, [1894]-1902. url p. 43.
• The Canadian entomologist. Ottawa [etc.]Entomological Society of Canada [etc.] url p. 193, p. 193, p. 24, p. 24, p. 41, p. 41.
• The Entomologist's monthly magazine. Oxford [etc.]Entomologist's Monthly Magazine Ltd. [etc.] url .
• 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. 106, p. 9.
• The Macrolepidoptera of the world; a systematic description of the hitherto known Macrolepidoptera, ed. in collaboration with well-known specialists. Stuttgart: Seitz'schen (Kernen), 1906- url p. 1063, p. 90.
• The butterflies of the eastern United States and Canada: with special reference to New England / By Samuel Hubbard Scudder. Cambridge: The author, 1889. url p. 1105.
• The butterfly book a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America / by W.J. Holland. Toronto: W. Briggs, 1898. url .
• The butterfly book: a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America / by W.J. Holland. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1910. url , p. 293.
• The butterfly book; a popular guide to a knowledge of the butterflies of North America. With 48 plates in color-photography, reproductions of butterflies in the author's collection, and many text illustrations presenting 1922 Garden City, N.Y., Doubleday, Page, 1922 [c1898] url p. 293, explanation of plate
• V, explanation of plate
• VI.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• 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.
• The Global Lepidoptera Names Index2, 12.2, 2005.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 26, 2008:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, St. Johns, Newfoundland
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Alan Wormington Collection
• 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: Gerald Hilchie Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lepidopterists Society Season Summaries 1973-1997
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lyman Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Memorial University Department of Biology Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: New Brunswick Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Norbert Kondla Collection
• 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: The Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador Natural History Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2631188
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Gar-1957
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 188531
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEPA8130
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 16143

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=15&sci=Pieridae&com=Whites and Sulphurs [back]
2. Mean = 447.950 meters (1,469.652 feet), Standard Deviation = 644.390 based on 267 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.