Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Boisduval's Yellow
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 Eurema boisduvaliana
Upperside lemon yellow with black borders ; each hindwing slightly pointed . Male forewing with weak "dog's head " pattern ; hindwing with wide black border projecting into yellow ground . Female forewing with black at apex; hindwing with narrow black edge . (ref. 105603)
Color:
Upperside lemon yellow with black borders ; each hindwing slightly pointed . Male forewing with weak "dog's head" pattern ; hindwing with wide black border projecting into yellow ground . Female forewing with black at apex; hindwing with narrow black edge .
Size/Age/Growth
Wing span : 1 1/2 - 2 inches (3.8 - 5.1 cm).
Habitat
Subtropical forests and forest edges, scrub , roadsides, pastures.
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,430 meters (0 to 7,972 feet).[2]
Biology
Diet
Caterpillar hosts: Cassias (Cassia species) in the pea family (Fabaceae). Adult food: Flower nectar.
Reproduction
Males patrol flats and gullies for females.
Behavior
Flight: April-November in south Texas and northward, throughout the year in tropics.
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
()
- Class:
Insecta
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Insects
- 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:
Eurema
()
- Hübner, 1819
- Specific name:
boisduvaliana
- (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)
- Scientific name: - Eurema boisduvaliana (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)
- Specific name:
boisduvaliana
- (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)
- Genus:
Eurema
(
- Subfamily:
Coliadinae
(
- Family:
Pieridae
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Superorder:
Panorpida
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Class:
Insecta
(
- 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 .
Similar Species
Members of the genus Eurema
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 13 species and subspecies in this genus:
E. albula (Ghost Yellow) · E. andersoni (One-Spot Yellow Grass) · E. boisduvaliana (Boisduval's Yellow) · E. brigitta (Small Grass Yellow) · E. daira (Barred Yellow) · E. dina (Dina Yellow) · E. lisa (Little Sulphur) · E. lisae (Little Yellow) · E. mexicana (Mexican Yellow) · E. nicippe (Sleepy Orange) · E. nise (Mimosa Yellow) · E. proterpia (Tailed Orange) · E. salome (Salome Yellow)
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
- Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- url p. 90.
- Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url , p. 293.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 26, 2008:
- UNIBIO, IBUNAM: CNIN/Lepidoptera
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2603224
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-177680.0
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1583701
Footnotes
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=15&sci=Pieridae&com=Whites and Sulphurs [back]
- Mean = 715.560 meters (2,347.638 feet), Standard Deviation = 986.450 based on 71 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
