North American Ecology (US and Canada)
provided by North American Butterfly Knowledge Network
Resident in western North America (Scott 1986). Habitats are CONIFEROUS FOREST. Host plants are usually trees with known hosts largely restricted to a few species in one family, PINACEAE. Eggs are laid on the host plant in rows of 3-22 eggs. Individuals overwinter as eggs. There is one flight each year with the approximate flight time JUL15-SEP15 depending on latitude (Scott 1986).
Behavior
provided by North American Butterfly Knowledge Network
feed mainly from nectar. Males patrol for females (Scott, 1986).
Conservation Status
provided by University of Alberta Museums
Undetermined status, likely an occasional stray.
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Cyclicity
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One Annual brood, flying in August.
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Distribution
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Southern half of BC south to California and New Mexico (Opler1999). There are only a few records for Alberta, all originating prior to 1923 from the Banff area (Bird et al. 1995). It is possible that these specimens represent occasional strays from adjacent areas of BC, and that this is not a resident species in Alberta.
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General Description
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No other white has the black leading forewing edge, joined to the black mark at the end of the discal cell. Of the described subspecies, Canadian populations have been assigned to menapia (Bird et al. 1995, Layberry et al. 1998), but more recent treatments suggest the most appropriate name for our populations is tau (Austin 1998, Guppy & Shepard 2001).
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Habitat
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Dry, montane woodlands.
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Life Cycle
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The eggs overwinter after they are laid at the base of conifer needle clumps. They are bright green and flask-shaped with longitudinal ridges (Guppy & Shepard 2001). Mature larvae are dark green with a white dorsal and lateral stripe, and have short tails a t the posterior end (Guppy & Shepard 2001). The Pine White has occasional population outbreaks, and larvae can cause severe defoliation of conifers (Guppy & Shepard 2001). Adults spend a good deal of time among the uppermost branches of conifers, and descend to nectar at flowers, particularly in the morning and evening (Guppy & Shepard 2001).
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Trophic Strategy
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No information is available for Alberta populations. In BC, larvae feed on conifers in the Pinaceae, including Amabilis fir, Douglas-fir, lodgepole-, white- and ponderosa pine, and western hemlock (Guppy & Shepard 2001).
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Neophasia menapia
provided by wikipedia EN
Neophasia menapia, the pine white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the western United States and in southern British Columbia, Canada.[1][2][3]
It is mostly white with black veins and wing bars. The species is similar to Neophasia terlooii but their ranges only overlap in New Mexico.[1][2]
The wingspan is 42–50 millimetres (1.7–2.0 in).[1] Its habitats include pine forests and Douglas fir forests in northern coastal California.[4]
The host plants are Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Abies balsamea, Abies grandis, and Picea sitchensis.[5] Adults feed on flower nectar from rabbitbrush, other yellow-flowered composites, and monarda.[4]
Neophasia menapia are a univoltine species that lay their eggs on live pine needles, as stated by a scientific research paper ("Phylogeography and the population genertics of pine butterflies") that details the differences between Neophasia.[6]
Subspecies
Subspecies include:
- Neophasia menapia menapia
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Neophasia menapia tau (Scudder, 1861)[7]
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Neophasia menapia melanica Scott, 1981
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Neophasia menapia tehachapina Emmel, Emmel & Mattoon, 1998
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Neophasia menapia megamenapia Austin, 1998
References
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Neophasia menapia: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Neophasia menapia, the pine white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the western United States and in southern British Columbia, Canada.
It is mostly white with black veins and wing bars. The species is similar to Neophasia terlooii but their ranges only overlap in New Mexico.
The wingspan is 42–50 millimetres (1.7–2.0 in). Its habitats include pine forests and Douglas fir forests in northern coastal California.
The host plants are Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Abies balsamea, Abies grandis, and Picea sitchensis. Adults feed on flower nectar from rabbitbrush, other yellow-flowered composites, and monarda.
Neophasia menapia are a univoltine species that lay their eggs on live pine needles, as stated by a scientific research paper ("Phylogeography and the population genertics of pine butterflies") that details the differences between Neophasia.
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