Spring white

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Pontia
Species:
P. sisymbrii
Binomial name
Pontia sisymbrii
(Boisduval, 1852)
Subspecies

5 subspecies, see text

Synonyms

Pieris sisymbrii

Pontia sisymbrii, the spring white, California white, or Colorado white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in mountainous areas of western Canada and the United States.[1]

It is mostly white with small black markings; females may be yellowish. Similar to other checkered whites such as, Pontia beckerii, Pontia protodice, and Pontia occidentalis.[1][2]

The wingspan is 31 to 40 millimeters.[1]

The host plants are in Brassicaceae (the mustard family) and include Caulanthus, Streptanthus, and Sisymbrium altissimum, Arabis glabra, Arabis furcata, and Arabis holboelli.[3]

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically.[3]

  • Pontia sisymbrii elivata (Barnes & Benjamin, 1926)
  • Pontia sisymbrii flavitincta (Comstock, 1924)
  • Pontia sisymbrii nigravenosa Austin & Emmel, ?2003
  • Pontia sisymbrii sisymbrii
  • Pontia sisymbrii transversa Holland, 1995

References

  1. 1 2 3 Spring White, Butterflies of Canada
  2. Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. ISBN 0-618-15312-8
  3. 1 2 Pontia, funet.fi


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