Pieridae

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Pieridae
Black-veined white (Aporia crataegi) male underside.jpg
Black-veined white ( Aporia crataegi ) male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Pieridae
Swainson, 1820
Subfamilies
Diversity
76 genera
1,051 species
Common Jezebel (Delias eucharis) Common Jezebel Delias eucharis edit by kadavoor.jpg
Common Jezebel ( Delias eucharis )
Eastern greenish black-tip (Euchloe penia) Eastern greenish black-tip (Euchloe penia) underside Macedonia.jpg
Eastern greenish black-tip ( Euchloe penia )

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. [1] 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. [2] The family was created by William John Swainson in 1820.

Contents

The name "butterfly" is believed to have originated from a member of this family, the brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni , which was called the "butter-coloured fly" by early British naturalists. [2]

The sexes usually differ, often in the pattern or number of the black markings.

The larvae (caterpillars) of a few of these species, such as Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae , commonly seen in gardens, feed on brassicas, and are notorious agricultural pests.

Males of many species exhibit gregarious mud-puddling behavior when they may imbibe salts from moist soils. [1]

Classification

The Pieridae have the radial vein on the forewing with three or four branches and rarely with five branches. The forelegs are well developed in both sexes, unlike in the Nymphalidae, and the tarsal claws are bifid, unlike in the Papilionidae. [3]

Like the Papilionidae, the Pieridae also have their pupae held at an angle by a silk girdle, but running at the first abdominal segment, unlike the thoracic girdle seen in the Papilionidae. But some species such as the madrone butterfly that belong to this family do not shows the presence of this abdominal silk girdle. [4]

Subfamilies

The Pieridae are generally divided into these four subfamilies:

According to the molecular phylogenetic study of Braby et al. (2005), [5] sister group relationships among Pieridae subfamilies are ((Dismorphiinae + Pseudopontiinae) + (Coliadinae + Pierinae)).

Some common species



Some pest species

Pieris brassicae, large white or cabbage white Pieris brassicae - Large Cabbage White - 02.jpg
Pieris brassicae , large white or cabbage white

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierinae</span> Subfamily of butterflies

The Pierinae are a large subfamily of pierid butterflies. The subfamily is one of several clades of butterflies often referred to as the whites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthocharini</span> Tribe of insects

The tribe Anthocharini is one of the subdivisions of the insect order Lepidoptera, which includes the moths and butterflies. It is a further subdivision of the butterfly family Pieridae and subfamily Pierinae; formerly it was considered a subfamily on its own, Anthocharinae. This tribe includes many, but not all, of the orangetip butterflies.

<i>Colias</i> Butterfly genus in family Pieridae

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.

<i>Colias philodice</i> Species of butterfly

Colias philodice, the common sulphur or clouded sulphur, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae.

Butterflies, or members of the Papilionoidea superfamily, use two ultraviolet signals, UV reflectance or absorbance as a communication system. The ultraviolet region is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum between 10 nm and 400 nm in wavelength. Sensitivity to this region provides butterflies several benefits such as nectar guides for nectar, but it also provides a private communication channel unavailable to predators. With this secure line, butterflies are able to facilitate mating behavior and sex recognition.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 DeVries P. J. in Levin S.A. (ed) 2001 The Encyclopaedia of Biodiversity. Academic Press.
  2. 1 2 Carter, David (2000). Butterflies and Moths.
  3. ↑ Borror, D. J.; Triplehorn, C. A. & Johnson, N. F. (1989). An Introduction to the Study of Insects (6th ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishers. ISBN   0-03-025397-7
  4. ↑ Kevan, P. G.; Bye, R. A. (1991). "The natural history, sociobiology, and ethnobiology of Eucheira socialis Westwood (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), a unique and little-known butterfly from Mexico". Entomologist. ISSN   0013-8878.
  5. ↑ Braby, M. F. (2005). "Provisional checklist of genera of the Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)". Zootaxa. 832: 1–16. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.832.1.1.

Further reading

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