Psyche is the Greek term for "soul" or "spirit" (ψυχή).
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. 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.
The Pierinae are a large subfamily of pierid butterflies. The subfamily is one of several clades of butterflies often referred to as the whites. It includes the following species :
Leptidea sinapis, or the wood white butterfly of the family Pieridae, is a small white butterfly that is mainly found in England, Ireland, and Northern Europe. The butterfly has white wings with grey or yellow markings near the center or tip of the wing. It flies slowly and low over its shrubbery habitat. Males initiate courtship with females and can mate multiply, while females tend to only mate once in their lifetime.
Pontia daplidice, the Bath white, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, the yellows and whites, which occurs in the Palearctic region. It is common in central and southern Europe, migrating northwards every summer, often reaching southern Scandinavia and sometimes southern England.
Leptosia nina, the psyche, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae and is found in Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia and Australia. The upper forewing has a black spot on a mainly white background. The flight is weak and erratic and the body of the butterfly bobs up and down as it beats its wings. They fly low over the grass and the butterfly rarely leaves the ground level.
Hasora taminatus, the white banded awl, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae, which is found in Asia.
Ixias is a genus of pierid butterflies ranging from the Arabian Peninsula to the Philippines, mostly in the Indomalayan realm.
Aporia, the black-veined whites or blackveins, is a genus of pierid butterflies found in the Palearctic region.
Pontia is a genus of pierid butterflies. They are found in the Holarctic, but are rare in Europe and central to eastern North America, and a few species range into the Afrotropics. Several East Asian species once placed here are now more often split off in Sinopieris. Like the closely related genus Pieris, they are commonly called whites.
Euchloe is a genus of pierid butterflies from the orangetip tribe (Anthocharini). They are Holarctic in distribution, with most species in Europe, Central Asia, and North America. Like other Anthocharini, the American species are usually called marbles; the Old World species are known as dappled whites.
Pinacopteryx is a monotypic genus of pierid butterflies found in Africa containing Pinacopteryx eriphia, the zebra white.
Leptosia alcesta, the African wood white or flip flop, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, found in Africa.
Leptosia hybrida, the hybrid wood white or hybrid spirit, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. The habitat consists of primary and riparian forest, including riverine vegetation that penetrates moist savanna.
Leptosia marginea, the black-edged spirit, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, southern Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and possibly Uganda and Tanzania. The habitat consists of primary forests.
Leptosia medusa, the dainty spirit, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and western Nigeria. The habitat consists of forests.
Leptosia nupta, the immaculate wood white, petite wood white or immaculate spirit, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1873. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and on Madagascar. The habitat consists of wet, primary forest.
Leptosia wigginsi, the opaque wood white or opaque spirit, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The habitat consists of primary lowland forests.
