Pieridae  

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Habitat:

These butterfly species can be found in open areas wherever their food plants occur. Some species live in the Arctic tundra, others in tropical jungle. They are most common in places with lots of plant growth, but some feed on desert plants, and some in high rocky mountains. They feed on leafy weeds and herbs and vegetables, not trees, so they are most common in meadows and open areas, not forests.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; polar ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: tundra ; taiga ; desert or dune ; chaparral ; forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest ; mountains

Wetlands: marsh ; swamp ; bog

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Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive:

Caterpillars of some species in this family eat plants that are weeds.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/

Food Habits:

Caterpillars of whites and sulfurs eat the leaves and flowers of plants. Most species only eat plants in the mustard family (including cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, and related vegetables) or in the bean family (including alfalfa and peas).

Adults sip flowers for nectar and mud for minerals and water.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/

Pieridae:

Sleepy Oranges mud-puddling on a damp spot, Stuckey, South Carolina

The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia.[1] Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots. The pigments that give the distinct colouring to these butterflies are derived from waste products in the body and are a characteristic of this family.[2]

It is believed that the name "butterfly" 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[edit]

The Pieridae have the radial vein on the forewing with 3 or 4 branches and rarely with 5 branches. The fore legs are well developed in both sexes, unlike in the Nymphalidae, and the tarsal claws are bifid unlike in the Papilionidae.[3]

Like the Papilionidae, 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.

Subfamilies[edit]

The Pieridae are generally divided into the following four subfamilies:

According to the molecular phylogenetic study of Braby et al. (2006), sister group relationships among Pieridae subfamilies are: ((Dismorphiinae+Pseudopontiinae)+(Coliadinae+Pierinae)).

Some popular species[edit]


Clouded Yellow, Colias croceus


Psyche Butterfly, Leptosia nina

Some pest species[edit]

See also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e DeVries P. J. in Levin S.A. (ed) 2001 The Encyclopaedia of Biodiversity. Academic Press.
  2. ^ a b Carter, David, Butterflies and Moths (2000)
  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

References[edit]

  • Braby, M. F. 2005. Provisional checklist of genera of the Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). Zootaxa 832: 1–16.
  • Braby, M., R. Vila, and N. E. Pierce. 2006. Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the Pieridae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea: higher classification and biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 147(2): 239-275.
  • Carter, David. 2000. Butterflies and Moths (2/ed). Dorling Kindersley, London. ISBN 0-7513-2707-7.
  • A New Subspecies of Eurema andersoni (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from South India, O YATA, H GAONKAR - Entomological science, 1999 - ci.nii.ac.jp

Further reading[edit]

  • Glassberg, Jeffrey Butterflies through Binoculars, The West (2001)
  • James, David G. and Nunnallee, David Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies (2011)
  • Pyle, Robert Michael The Butterflies of Cascadia (2002)
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorWikipedia
Sourcehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pieridae&oldid=604576448

Introduction:

Introduction:

Pieridae are the sulphurs and whites, medium-sized mostly pale-colored butterflies with a world-wide distribution. There are some 1100 species.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorDana Campbell, Leptree.net, Andrew V. Z. Brower, LepTree
Sourcehttp://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=92&scientificName=Pieridae

Ecosystem Roles:

Adults are pollinators, caterpillars can be important herbivores, limiting some plant populations.

Ecosystem Impact: pollinates

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/

Diversity:

Diversity description:

This family is composed of about 1051 species in 76 genera. The most speciose genera are: Colotis, Delias, Colias, Catasticta, Eurema and Belenois.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorDana Campbell, Leptree.net, Andrew V. Z. Brower, LepTree
Sourcehttp://www.leptree.net/lep_taxon_page?id=92&scientificName=Pieridae

Predation:

Caterpillars hide, and have camouflage colors. A few species make nests of silk to hide in.

Adults fly during the day, and hide at night.

Some species collect toxic chemicals from their food plants.

They may have toxic chemicals from their food

Known Predators:

  • Aves
  • Soricidae (eat pupae)
  • Sigmodontinae (eat pupae)
  • Anura (eat adults)
  • Araneae, especially crab spiders and orb-weavers (eat adults)
  • Formicidae (eat caterpillars)
  • Hymenoptera (eat caterpillars and adults)
  • mantids (eat adults)
  • Diptera (eat caterpillars)
  • Coccinellidae (eat eggs)
  • Chrysopidae (eat eggs)
  • Acari (eat eggs)
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/

Introduction:

Pieridae are the sulphurs and whites, medium-sized mostly pale-colored butterflies with a world-wide distribution. There are some 1100 species.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorAndrew V. Z. Brower, Tree of Life web project
Sourcehttp://tolweb.org/Pieridae/12176

Communication and Perception:

These butterflies communicate mainly with their scent and their colors. Males attract mates with scent and display, and females leave a scent mark on plants where they have laid eggs.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Pieridae/
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith