UK Butterflies
Building a Community of Responsible Butterfly Enthusiasts in Britain & Ireland
Building a Community of Responsible Butterfly Enthusiasts in Britain & Ireland
| Family: | Pieridae | Swainson, 1820 |
| Subfamily: | Coliadinae | Swainson, 1820 |
| Tribe: | Coliadini | Swainson, 1827 |
| Genus: | Colias | Fabricius, 1807 |
| Type Species: | hyale | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Pieridae are found in all zoogeographical regions and comprise approximately 2,000 species, most of which are bivoltine. Adult butterflies are typically of a moderate size and exhibit sexual dimorphism. All butterflies are mostly white or yellow in colour and newly-emerged adults may give off a faint perfume.
Antennae are half the length of the forewing and are slender, with a small and straight club. Eyes are smooth and the labial palps are larger than the head, projecting outward or slightly upward. All legs are fully-functional in both sexes, each with a pair of claws.
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Large White (Pieris brassicae) | Small White (Pieris rapae) |
The forewing has between 10 and 12 veins, with veins 7, 8 and 9 occasionally coincident. Androconial scales are usually present on the forewing upperside. The hindwing has 2 anal veins. The cell is closed in both forewing and hindwing.
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Small White (Pieris rapae) |
Eggs are characteristic in being tall, bottle-shaped and strongly ribbed. Larvae are usually green and are relatively smooth, without spines and only short insignificant hair. The pupa typically has a pointed head and is secured in an upright position, supported by a silken thoracic girdle and also by the cremaster to a silken pad.
Description to be completed.
Description to be completed.
Description to be completed.
The Butterflies and Moths of the World project, run by the British Museum of Natural History, has completed a detailed analysis of various genera and their type species. Click here to visit the relevant page for this genus.
This genus is represented by the species shown below.
