Madeiran Large White
| Madeiran Large White | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Madeiran Large White (female) | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Pieris |
| Species: | P. brassicae |
| Subspecies: | P. b. wollastoni |
| Trinomial name | |
| Pieris brassicae wollastoni Butler, 1886 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Pieris wollastoni |
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The Madeiran Large White (Pieris brassicae wollastoni) is a subspecies of the Large White, endemic to Madeira.[1] It can reach a size from 55 to 65 millimetres. The wings are pure white with a wide black tip on the apexes of the forewings. Its natural habitat is the laurisilva laurel forest.[2] Considering that it was last collected in 1977 but not found despite a 15 year survey during the 1980s and 1990s it might be either extremely rare or possibly extinct.[3] One reason for its decline might be a virus infection which brought out after the Small White (Pieris rapae) was introduced to Madeira in the 1950s.[4] The Latin name commemorates Thomas Vernon Wollaston, an entomologist who has discovered several insect taxa on Madeira.
[edit] References
- ^ John Feltwell: Large white butterfly: The Biology, Biochemistry and Physiology of Pieris Brassicae (Linnaeus). Springer, 1982 ISBN 9061931282
- ^ Pieris brassicae wollastoni
- ^ Man drives butterfly into extinction and it could be bad news for us too
- ^ Gardiner, B. (2003) The possible cause of extinction of Pieris brassicae wollastoni Butler (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Entomologist's Gazette 54:267–268
[edit] Further reading
- Holt White, A. E. & Rashleigh (editors) (1894): The butterflies and moths of Teneriffe. Illustrated from the author's drawings. L. Reeve & Co., London
- Gardiner, B. (2003) The possible cause of extinction of Pieris brassicae wollastoni Butler (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Entomologist's Gazette 54:267–268
[edit] External links
- Van Swaay, C.A.M. & Warren, M.S. (2000). Pieris wollastoni. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 31 July 2007.
- Large White
- Man drives butterfly into extinction and it could be bad news for us too
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