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Has anyone ever pondered/speculated/ruminated that perhaps what we have in the Cryptic Wood White is a newly evolved (as in geological time) species adapting to a changing environment? It would do a lot to explain the odd distribution. As any good biologist knows, evolution is a constantly moving process so it makes sense that in isolated pockets genetic experimentation which results in a form that is better adapted to a changing environment would do better than it's declining predessor. Just some thoughts but in my mind it all makes complete sense!

The evidence (according to Dinca et al.) seems to be that historically juvernica was the predominant species in most of Europe and Asia, with sinapis and reali restricted to the south-west. Subsequently, sinapis moved north and east into the rest of Europe, while reali remained concentrated in the south-west. See http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/15889380/2 ... ernica.pdf. If that is right, your suggestion is probably wrong - but science bends and dogma breaks, as they say ... New evidence might change the orthodoxy.

Guy

PS - I forgot to say, welcome to UK Butterflies!

And welcome from me too, bugboy!

My understanding is the same as Guy's, and the big question for me - is why did juvernica die out on the British mainland, given that no evidence of this species has turned up in historic British collections?

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks for the reply, I'll be completely honest and admit a lot of that article goes over my head but at least now I know it is being studied. I'd have been extremely surprised had it not been.

thanks for the welcome

Pete Eeles wrote:why did juvernica die out on the British mainland, given that no evidence of this species has turned up in historic British collections?

I lose sleep over this too! How can a species have established itself in Ireland after the last ice age without any evidence of it colonising the British mainland as well?

I still believe there's considerable mileage in this phenomenon (don't forget, quarter of a century ago it was commonly accepted that Irish Wood Whites were sinapis and by some miracle they had become far more common and widespread in Ireland than in Britain).

That's an interesting article, Matsukaze, but why are Cryptic Wood Whites widespread throughout Ireland?