Family: | Pieridae | Swainson, 1820 |
Subfamily: | Coliadinae | Swainson, 1820 |
Tribe: | Coliadini | Swainson, 1827 |
Type Genus: | Colias | Fabricius, 1807 |
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.
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.
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.
This tribe is represented by the following genera:
This tribe is represented by the species shown below.