5-805: Around a dozen, see text Pontia is a genus of pierid butterflies . They are found in the Holarctic , but are rare in Europe and central to eastern North America , and a few species range into the Afrotropics . Several East Asian species once placed here are now more often split off in Sinopieris . Like the closely related genus Pieris , they are commonly called whites . Listed alphabetically: Some other species are occasionally placed here, but alternatively in other genera. Pontia extensa may belong in Pieris , while
10-605: A number of other species from the China region are often split off in Sinopieris : This Pieridae -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pieridae The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species , mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow, or orange in coloration, often with black spots. The pigments that give
15-711: The Nymphalidae , and the tarsal claws are bifid , unlike in the Papilionidae . Like the Papilionidae, the 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. But some species such as the madrone butterfly that belong to this family do not shows the presence of this abdominal silk girdle. The Pieridae are generally divided into these four subfamilies : According to
20-420: The distinct coloring to these butterflies are derived from waste products in the body and are a characteristic of this family. The family was created by William John Swainson in 1820. The name "butterfly" is believed to have originated from a member of this family, the brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni , which was called the "butter-coloured fly" by early British naturalists. The sexes usually differ, often in
25-522: 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. The Pieridae have the radial vein on the forewing with three or four branches and rarely with five branches. The forelegs are well developed in both sexes, unlike in
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