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Taxonomy
Pieridae
EOL Text
Pieridae (White and Sulfur Butterflies)
These small- to medium-sized butterflies fall into two major subfamilies, which will be described. Pierinae (Whites): The White butterflies have white wings with black dots or bars. A few species, such as the Marbles and Orangetips, have greenish yellow or bright orange patterns on their wings. The larvae are predominantly green, and feed almost exclusively on members of the Mustard family. The green or brown pupae are slung from a stem with a silk girdle. Adult Whites often nectar at the flowers of members of the Mustard family. Coliadinae (Sulfurs): The Sulfur butterflies have yellow or orange-yellow wings, with black bars or dots. Their caterpillars are green, often with pale white or yellow lateral stripes. They feed on various legumes (Bean family). Some species do not successfully overwinter in central or northern Illinois, such as Colias cesonia (Dogface Sulfur), but migrate northward during the summer from areas in the southern United States. They are important visitors of some prairie wildflowers.
- Hilty, J. Editor. 2014. Insect Visitors of Illinois Wildflowers. World Wide Web electronic publication. illinoiswildflowers.info, version (06/2014)
See: Abbreviations for Insect Activities, Abbreviations for Scientific Observers, References for behavioral observations
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| Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
| Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects/files/lepidoptera.htm |
Like all butterflies, these have complete metamorphosis. The caterpillars that hatch from the eggs eat and grow fast. They do not make a coccoon, but do attach themselves to plants with silk threads. Species in cold climates hibernate as caterpillars or pupae, and may have more than one generation over the summer.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/ |
The name Pieridae is attributed to Duponchel, 1835, in the Official List of Family Names, but J. Pelham (pers. comm.) points out that Swainson employed the name for a family-level group some 15 years prior, and argues that priority should be observed.
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| Rights holder/Author | Andrew V. Z. Brower, Tree of Life web project |
| Source | http://tolweb.org/Pieridae/12176 |
Most only live for about a year or less, but some cold-climate species may live for two. These animals only live for a short time (a few days or weeks) as adults, they spend most of their lives in the immature stages. Some species can complete more than one generation a year, so individuals are only living for a few months.
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/ |
There are over 1,100 species in this family, and they are found all over the world. There are 58 species in the U.S., and we have 17 different species in Michigan.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced , Native ); palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native ); ethiopian (Native ); neotropical (Native ); australian (Native ); oceanic islands (Introduced , Native )
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/ |
After mating, the females in these species lay hundreds of eggs. They place the eggs one per leaf on the underside of the leaf. They only lay eggs on the plants their offspring need to eat (see Food Habits).
Breeding season: Spring, Summer, and Early Fall.
Key Reproductive Features: semelparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
These insects do not take care of their offspring.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/ |
Geographic Range:
Nearctic, Palearctic, Oriental, Ethiopian, Neotropical, Australian, Oceanic Island
Geographic Range description:
World-wide distribution, almost. New Zealand lacks native species.
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| Rights holder/Author | Dana Campbell, Leptree.net, Andrew V. Z. Brower, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=92&scientificName=Pieridae |
Larval food items include:
Brassicaeceae. Fabaceae. Capparidacea. Loranthaceae. Other plant groups
Larval food habits description:
"Larvae feed particularly on Brassicaeceae and Fabaceae" (Scoble, 1992)
Description of egg life history:
Eggs are laid on the foodplant (Scoble 1992).
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Dana Campbell, Leptree.net, Andrew V. Z. Brower, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=92&scientificName=Pieridae |
Adult butterflies in this family are nearly all white or yellow, which is where they get their name. Their wings may have a few dark spots, or a dark edge, but they don't have many stripes or spots. They are medium-sized butterflies, with all six legs fully developed. In some species the color of adults is affected by the temperature when they pupated. Cooler temperatures usually produce darker colors.
Some species of Whites feed on plants in the mustard family that have toxic chemicals for protection. The caterpillars store the toxins in their body to discourage predators from eating them. Some other species of Whites may be mimicking the toxic ones by having similar wing colors and patterns.
The caterpillars in this group are mostly green or yellow and cylinder-shaped, and are covered with fine hairs or little black bumps.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; female larger
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/ |
Systematic and taxonomic history:
The phylogenetic position of the Pieridae is uncertain and needs further study. Two conflicting hypotheses have been proposed: 1. Pieridae is the sister group of Papilionidae (supported by characters described in Scott and Wright 1990); 2. Pieridae is the sister taxon to (Nymphalidae+Lycaenidae) - supporting characters described in Kristensen, 1976.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Dana Campbell, Leptree.net, Andrew V. Z. Brower, LepTree |
| Source | http://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=92&scientificName=Pieridae |