Pieris napi, the Green-veined White is a very common butterfly, similar to [267] the Large White and Small White but with a marked vein-like structure on the under wings.
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Animals
Phylum – Arthropods
Class – Insects
Order – Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Family – Pieridae
Subfamily – Pierinae (Whites and Yellows)
Tribe – Pierini
Genus – Pieris
Scientific Name – Pieris napi
Name
[057] Rapeseed is Brassica napus, which is all you need to add to the section about Names for the two species yesterday. (Latin purists will recognize that the masculine napus becomes napi in the genitive, as the feminine brassica and rapa became brassicae and rapae.)
Description
From the top, this butterfly is very similar to the other Whites but the undersides of its wings show the ‘green veins’ that give it its name. Dark scales – from a dirty green colour to brown or almost black – show against the background of the pale yellow or green wings.
It feeds on many of the wild species of Brassicaceae, such as Hedge Mustard, Garlic Mustard, Water Cress, Charlock, Wild Cabbage, Wild Radish and Cuckooflower. (There are too many such species for easy identification and I haven’t been able to include them specifically in these blogs.)
Habitat
Pieris napi is widespread and common across Eurasia and North Africa. In Britain it is even more widespread than the Large White and Small White, including all of Scotland in its range. It is found in hedgerows, forest edges and anywhere with grass.
[267] Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae, Cabbage White
Introduction
Informally, Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae are both sometimes called Cabbage White butterflies and most of the general population do not distinguish between the two species. Although one is larger than the other, close inspection may be needed to tell them apart. I will treat them together.
Pieris brassicae, the Large White, Large Cabbage White, Cabbage White or Cabbage Butterfly, is a common and widespread, mostly white butterfly.
Pieris rapae, the Small White, Small Cabbage White, Cabbage White or Cabbage Butterfly, is also a common and widespread, mostly white butterfly, with very similar markings. In some countries where it is non-native and invasive, the larval form is called the Imported Cabbageworm.
More of the usual warnings. There is a plant genus also called Pieris. This duplication is allowed and does happen. There is another genus of butterflies, Pierella, that retains Pieris as a synonym. [It was named Pieris until it was discovered that the name had already been used for another butterfly.]
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Animals
Phylum – Arthropods
Class – Aves (Birds)
Order – Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Family – Pieridae
Subfamily – Pierinae (Whites and Yellows)
Tribe – Pierini
Genus – Pieris
Scientific Names – Pieris brassicae, Pieris rapae
Names
Pieris comes from the city of Pieria, home of the mythological Muses of Ancient Greece. (Don’t ask why!)
Both species are widely regarded as agricultural pests because the caterpillars eat cabbages and other species of Brassicaca. Brassica rapa is the Turnip. Hence Pieris brassicae and Pieris rapae. See [057] Rape. (The species epithets take genitive endings, so brassicae means ‘of brassica’ and rapae means ‘of rapa.’)
Description
Pieris brassicae adult butterflies are mostly white with a dark tip on the forewings. Females have two black spots on the forewings and the hindwings are pale yellow. Males are significantly smaller.
Pieris rapae differs in being slightly smaller. The dark tip to the wing is less extensive and males may have a single dark spot.
Everything else about these two butterflies is similar.
The larvae have five instar stages, feeding on wild or cultivated Rape, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts and other members of the family Brassicaceae. There are two or sometimes three generations each year.
In many places both species are considered pests because of its the damage they can do to crops. In countries like India, they are estimated to reduce crop production by up to 40%.
Habitat
Pieris brassicae is common throughout Europe, Northern Africa and Asia. The resident UK population is normally increased with migrations from Europe. It is less common to the North of Scotland than the rest of Britain. They are found in open country and especially farms and vegetable gardens.
Pieris rapae has a similar natural distribution. It was introduced to Quebec around 1860 and has spread across most of North America and via Hawaii to New Zealand and parts of Australia.
Other Notes
These two species are among the most common British butterflies. It is easy to spot one but much more difficult to decide which species it is.
You will understand that the Large White butterfly is not often confused with the Large White breed of [328] Pig.
See also
[268] The Green-veined White, coming tomorrow is relatively easy to distinguish from these two species.
Melanargia galathea, the Marbled White Butterfly, usually just called a Marbled White, may look superficially white in flight but it is actually a patchwork of black and white (or brown and white).
It shares its common name with Hesperocharis graphites from Central America and Nyctemera coleta and Nyctemera adversata from southeast Asia. Hesperocharis graphites doesn’t look like our version and the last two are both moths with light brown patterns a bit similar to Melanargia galathea.
The other twenty species of Melanargia, each with smaller local geographical distribution, are also called Marbled White.
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Animals
Phylum – Arthropods
Class – Insects
Order – Lepidoptera
Family – Nymphalidae
Subfamily – Satyrinae (Browns)
Tribe – Satyrini (Graylings and Ringlets)
Subtribe – Melanargiina (Only Malanargia)
Genus – Melanargia
Subgenus – Melanargia
Scientific Name – Melanargia galathea
Name
Although it may be predominantly brown this butterfly looks almost white when in flight.
I’m having to guess for the scientific name but melano- is an Ancient Greek root meaning black; Argus or Argia are Greek names in mythology associated with the town of Argos; and Galatea was a mythological figure named as milky-white. (Remember [154] Snowdrop.)
Description
The wings have a roughly chequered pattern on the wings. On the upper surface this is almost bleck and white, while the lower surface may have black or dark brown markings. Males and females are similar in appearance but generally males are black and females brown.
Caterpillars feed on various grasses. You will remember from [176] Yorkshire Fog that we have many species of grass. Wikipedia notes that the genera used by Melanargia galathea for its food include Phleum, Poa, [146] Festuca,Bromus, Dactylis, Brachypodium, Agrostis, Elytrigia, Holcus, [345] Triticum and Agropyron.
Habitat
The Marbled White is found across Europe apart from Scandinavia and the Iberian Peninsula, and Asia Minor.
In the UK it is more or less restricted to the south of England, generally in unimproved grassland areas.
See also
We have more butterflies to come. The Browns are the nearest relatives but visually this is more similar to [267] the Large White and Small White.
The Species of Britain 