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Belongs within: Obtectomera.
Contains: Euchloe, Pareronia, Colias, Terias, Catopsilia, Eurema, Appias, Belenois, Cepora, Pieris, Delias, Leptosia, Mylothris, Aporia, Anthocharis, Hebomoia.
The Pieridae, whites and yellows, are a cosmopolitan family of butterflies with their vernacular names referring to the predominant coloration of most species. The hind wings have a rounded tornus lacking a tail (Braby 2000).
Members of the subfamily Coliadinae have the humeral vein in the hind wing greatly reduced or absent and larvae that feed mostly on legumes whereas species of Pierinae have the humeral vein long and their larvae feed primarily on Brassicales, Santalales and Euphorbiaceae (Nielsen & Common 1991). Elodina, the pearl-whites, is an Australasian genus of Pierinae with white wings bearing a black apical patch on the upper side of the fore wing (Braby 2000). The Dismorphiinae, mimic sulphurs, are a primarily Neotropical group of butterflies that commonly mimic other, toxic butterflies such as Heliconius species. Pseudopontia paradoxa is a species found in central and western Africa that lacks the clubbed antennae of other butterflies and has been placed in its own subfamily.
Characters (from Braby 2000): Antennae relatively close together at base; fore wing with radial vein lacking at least one of the five branches, with two branches usually stalked, and one anal vein; hind wing with two anal veins, tornus rounded without a tail; both sexes with six normal, functional legs, tarsi with conspicuous bifid apical claws, fore tibia lacking epiphysis. Egg elongate, approximately spindle-shaped, with coarse longitudinal ribs. Final instar larva cylindrical, covered with fine hairs; osmeterium absent; prolegs with crochets in biordinal or triordinal mesoseries. Pupa angular, often with spines and dorsal ridges, attached by cremaster and central girdle.
<==Pieridae |--Pseudopontia Plötz 1870F55 [PseudopontiinaeB00] | `--P. paradoxa (Felder 1870)F55 |--Dismorphia [Dismorphiinae]GE05 | |--D. albania (Bates 1846)FS54 | |--D. amphionaGE05 | |--D. fortunata (Lucas 1854)FS54 | `--D. nemesis (Latreille 1813)S55 |--ColiadinaeB00 | |--ColiasF55 | |--TeriasB00 | |--CatopsiliaB00 | |--EuremaB00 | |--Phoebis Hübner 1819KP19, B00 | | |--P. argante (Fabricius 1775)S55 | | |--P. philea (Linnaeus 1767)S55 | | |--P. sennaeFS54 | | | |--P. s. sennaeFS54 | | | `--P. s. eubule (Linnaeus 1767)FS54 | | `--P. statira (Cramer 1777) [=Aphrissa statira]S55 | |--Gonepteryx rhamniS72, F92 | |--Nathalis ioleS72 | `--Zerene eurydiceS72 `--PierinaeJ03 | i. s.: AppiasB00 | BelenoisB00 | CeporaB00 | LeuciacriaJ03 | PierisB00 | DeliasB00 | LeptosiaB00 | Pereute Herrich-Schäffer 1867B00 | Leodonta Butler 1870B00 | Catasticta Butler 1870B00 | `--C. teutamis (Hewitson 1860)F55 | Archonias Hübner 1827–1831B00 | `--A. bellonaS55 | |--A. b. bellonaS55 | `--A. b. phaloreia Fruhstorfer 1907S55 | Elodina Felder & Felder 1865B00 | |--E. andropis Butler 1876B00 | |--E. angulipennis (Lucas 1852)B00 | |--E. claudia De Baar & Hancock 1993B00 | |--E. padusa (Hewitson 1853)B12 | |--E. parthia (Hewitson 1853)B00 | |--E. perdita Miskin 1889B00 | |--E. queenslandica De Baar & Hancock 1993B00 | `--E. walkeri Butler 1898B12 [=E. perdita walkeriB00; incl. E. perdita tongura Tindale 1923B00] | MylothrisB00 | AporiaS72 | Neophasia menapiaS72 | Prioneris sitaS72 | Anaphaeis Hübner 1819B00 |--Ascia monuste (Linné 1764)KP19, FS54 `--+--AnthocharisKP19 `--HebomoiaKP19 Pieridae incertae sedis: Artogeia rapaeBWT03 Melete isandra Boisduval 1836FS54 HesperocharisS55 |--‘Pieris’ avivolans Butler 1865B66 |--H. graphitesB66 |--H. hirlanda [=Cunizza hirlanda]S55 | |--H. h. hirlandaS55 | `--H. h. ninguida Fruhstorfer 1907S55 `--H. marchaliiS55 |--H. m. marchaliiS55 `--H. m. coloe Fruhstorfer 1907S55 Anteos menippe (Hübner 1806)S55 Baltia Moore 1878F55 `--B. shawi [incl. B. shawi ab. melanotica Bang-Haas 1937]F55 Mesapia Gray 1856F55 `--M. peloriaF55 |--M. p. peloriaF55 `--M. p. grayi Bang-Haas 1934F55 Phrissura Butler 1870F55 |--P. aegis (Felder 1861) [=Pieris aegis, Tachyris aegis]F55 | |--P. a. aegisF55 | |--P. a. caepia Fruhstorfer 1910F55 | `--P. a. illana (Felder 1862)F55 `--P. phoebeB01b Saletara Distant 1885F55 |--S. liberiaF55 | |--S. l. liberiaF55 | `--S. l. eliada Hewitson 1861 [=Tachyris eliada]F55 `--S. pandaF55 |--S. p. pandaF55 |--S. p. distanti Butler 1898F55 |--S. p. erebina Fruhstorfer 1900F55 |--S. p. martia Fruhstorfer 1910F55 `--S. p. nathalia (Felder 1862) [=Pieris nathalia]F55 Dixeia Talbot 1932F55 |--D. capricornus (Ward 1871) [=Pieris capricornus]F55 |--D. cebron (Ward 1871) [=Pieris cebron]F55 `--D. rubrobasalisF55 |--D. r. rubrobasalisF55 `--D. r. nitida (Aurivillius 1898) [=Pieris rubrobasalis var. nitida]F55 Synchloe Hübner 1818F55 |--S. distortaB01a |--S. dubernardiF55 | |--S. d. dubernardiF55 | `--S. d. bromkampi Bang-Haas 1938F55 |--S. glauconomeB01b `--S. johnstoniB01a Pontia Fabricius 1807F55 |--P. daplidice (Linnaeus 1758) [=Leucochloe daplidice]F55 |--P. freyeriGE05 |--P. glauconome Klug 1829 [=Leucochloe glauconome]F55 |--P. ninaWM66 `--P. niobe Wallace & Moore 1866WM66 EuchloeF55 Colotis Hübner 1820F55 | i. s.: C. dairaF55 | |--C. d. dairaF55 | `--C. d. nouna (see below for synonymy)F55 | C. evippe (Linnaeus 1758) [=Teracolus evippe]F55 `--C. (Madais Swinhoe 1910)F55 `--C. (M.) fausta [incl. Teracolus fausta f. beckeri Bang-Haas 1927, C. fausta f. beckeri]F55 Nepheronia Butler 1870F55 `--N. argia (Fabricius 1775) [=Eronia argia; incl. N. argia f. poppea (Donovan 1824), E. argia ab. poppea]F55 PareroniaF55 Gandaca Moore 1906F55 `--G. harina [=Terias harina]F55 |--G. h. harinaF55 |--G. h. batanea Fruhstorfer 1911F55 |--G. h. gardineri Fruhstorfer 1910F55 |--G. h. mindanaensis Fruhstorfer 1910F55 `--G. h. palawanica Fruhstorfer 1910F55 Stolopsyche libytheoidesGE05 Oligodonta florissantensisGE05 Coliates proserpinaGE05 Mylothrites plutoGE05 Eucheira socialisGE05 Leptidea reali Reisinger 1989JP05 Leucophasia sinapis [incl. L. sinapis var. amurensis]P01 RhodoceraP01 |--R. rhamniP01 `--R. wallichii (Doubleday 1848) [=Gonepteryx wallichii; incl. G. urania Butler 1866]B66 Aphrissa Butler 1873B00
Colotis daira nouna [incl. Teracolus daira nouna auresiaca Stauder 1913, C. daira nouna f. biskrensis Blachier 1908, T. daira nouna pyroleuca Stauder 1913, C. daira nouna f. pyroleuca]F55
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[BWT03] Bowie, M., S. Wratten & J. Tylianakis. 2003. An introduction to entomological research on Kowhai Farm—the Heinz Wattie’s Organic Farm at Lincoln University. Weta 25: 18–23.
[B00] Braby, M. F. 2000. Butterflies of Australia: their identification, biology and distribution vol. 1. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood (Victoria).
[B12] Braby, M. F. 2012. The butterflies of El Questro Wilderness Park, with remarks on the taxonomy of the Kimberley fauna, Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 27 (2): 161–175.
[B66] Butler, A. G. 1866. Corrections and addenda to certain papers on Lepidoptera published during the years 1865–66; with additional notes on some of the species described. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 451–458.
[B01a] Butler, A. G. 1901a. An account of a collection of butterflies obtained by Lord Delamere, chiefly at Munisu, near Mount Kenya. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 197–203.
[B01b] Butler, A. G. 1901b. On a collection of butterflies from the Uganda Protectorate, forwarded by C. Steuart Betton, Esq., in 1900. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 562.
[F92] Fan Z. 1992. Key to the Common Flies of China 2nd ed. Science Press: Beijing.
[F55] Franz, E. 1955. Die Typen und Typoide des Natur-Museums Senckenberg, 16). Insecta, Lepidoptera, Pieridae. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36: 339–367.
[FS54] Franz, E., & H. Schröder. 1954. Tagfalter (Lep. Rhopalocera) aus El Salvador. Senckenbergiana Biologica 35: 75–87.
[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.
[J03] Jong, R. de. 2003. Are there butterflies with Gondwanan ancestry in the Australian region? Invertebrate Systematics 17: 143–156.
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[KP19] Kawahara, A. Y., D. Plotkin, M. Espeland, K. Meusemann, E. F. A. Toussaint, A. Donath, F. Gimnich, P. B. Frandsen, A. Zwick, M. dos Reis, J. R. Barber, R. S. Peters, S. Liu, X. Zhou, C. Mayer, L. Podsiadlowski, C. Storer, J. E. Yack, B. Misof & J. W. Breinholt. 2019. Phylogenomics reveals the evolutionary timing and pattern of butterflies and moths. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 116 (45): 22657–22663.
[P01] Pável, J. 1901. Lepkék [Lepidopteren]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 171–177. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.
[S55] Schröder, H. 1955. Eine Falter-Ausbeute aus dem westlichen Bolivien. (Ins. Lepid. Rhopal.) Senckenbergiana Biologica 36: 329–338.
[S72] Shields, O. 1972. Flower visitation records for butterflies (Lepidoptera). Pan-Pacific Entomologist 48 (3): 189–203.
[WM66] Wallace, A. R., & F. Moore. 1866. List of lepidopterous insects collected at Takow, Formosa, by Mr. R. Swinhoe. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 355–365.