Madeiran large white
| Madeiran large white | |
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| Madeiran Large White (female) | |
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| Subspecies: | P. b. wollastoni
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| Trinomial name | |
| Pieris brassicae wollastoni Butler, 1886
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Pieris wollastoni | |
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.
References
- ^ John Feltwell: Large white butterfly: The Biology, Biochemistry and Physiology of Pieris Brassicae (Linnaeus). Springer, 1982 ISBN 90-6193-128-2
- ^ 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
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
External links
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