The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow, or orange in coloration, often with black spots. The pigments that give the distinct coloring to these butterflies are derived from waste products in the body and are a characteristic of this family. The family was created by William John Swainson in 1820.
Zerene eurydice, the California dogface butterfly, belongs to the family Pieridae and is a sister genus to Colias.The Zerene eurydice and the Colias both share the "characteristic of having yellow-orange and black wing coordination." Additionally the,"Colias and Zerene eurydice males have bright UV patterns on their wings." There are only two species of the Zerene, the Zerene eurydice, and the Zerene cesonia, also known as the Southern dogface. A study that collected mitochondrial DNA from various Colias butterfly species found that Z. eurydice had decreased divergence from the ingroup, highlighting how closely related these two genera are. This species is endemic to California, and is California's state insect. The California dogface butterfly varies in its wing color and pattern.
Colias croceus, clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, the yellows and whites.
Colias hyale, the pale clouded yellow, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, which is found in most of Europe and large parts of the Palearctic. It is a rare migrant to the British Isles and Scandinavia. The adult wingspan is 52–62 millimetres (2.0–2.4 in).
Colias alfacariensis, Berger's clouded yellow, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It was separated from the pale clouded yellow, C. hyale, in 1905. Berger's clouded yellow is a Palearctic species (South and Central Europe, South Russia, Russian Far East, Siberia Central Asia and temperate China also Asia Minor, Caucasus and Transcaucasia.
Colias eurytheme, the orange sulphur, also known as the alfalfa butterfly and in its larval stage as the alfalfa caterpillar, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, where it belongs to the lowland group of "clouded yellows and sulphurs" subfamily Coliadinae. It is found throughout North America from southern Canada to Mexico.
Colias is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows in the Palearctic and sulphurs in North America. The closest living relative is the genus Zerene, which is sometimes included in Colias.
Colias philodice, the common sulphur or clouded sulphur, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae.
Colias aurorina, the Greek clouded butterfly or dawn clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Greece, the Near East, the Caucasus, and in Iran and Turkmenistan.
Colias phicomone, the mountain clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Carpathian Mountains and the Alps. It flies at altitudes of 900 to 2800 meters.
Colias myrmidone, the Danube clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae.
Colias hecla, the northern clouded yellow or hecla sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. In Europe, it is found in the northern part of Norway, Sweden and Finland up to heights of 900 m. It is also found in Greenland, Alaska, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Quebec, Labrador, Manitoba, the Chukot region, eastern Chukotka, and the Russian Far East.
Colias alexandra, the Queen Alexandra's sulphur, Alexandra sulphur, or ultraviolet sulfur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in western North America. Its range includes Alaska to the Northwest Territories and south to Arizona and New Mexico.
Colias meadii, the Mead's sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States.
Colias gigantea, the giant sulphur or giant northern sulfur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes Alaska across Canada to the east coast and Wyoming, Montana, and Oregon.
Colias pelidne, the pelidne sulphur or blueberry sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes British Columbia across Canada as far east as Newfoundland and south to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
Colias behrii, the Behr's sulphur or Sierra green sulfur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is endemic to California's Sierra Nevada from Tuolumne County south to Tulare County.
Colias scudderii, the willow sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from Alaska south through the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico. The habitat consists of mountain meadows and willow bogs.
Colias wiskotti is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Turkestan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Kashmir. The habitat consists of xerophytic mountains.
Colias caucasica, the Balkan clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the western Caucasus, in northeastern Turkey, and in the Balkan Peninsula.
