Kingdom Animalia Subfamily Pierinae Scientific name Pieris Higher classification Pierini Order Butterflies and moths | Family Pieridae Tribe Pierini Phylum Arthropoda Rank Genus | |
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Wingspan Pieris rapae: 3.2 – 4.7 cm Lower classifications Pieris rapae, Pieris brassicae, Green‑veined white, Canary Islands large white | ||
Pieris, the whites or garden whites, is a widespread now almost cosmopolitan genus of butterflies of the family Pieridae. The highest species diversity is in the Palearctic. Many species of this genus have caterpillars which feed on cabbage and other members of the Brassicaceae. The chemical basis of this association with a certain plant group has been studied for over 100 years, and is now known to occur via a number of biochemical adaptations to chemicals called glucosinolates in these plants. In contrast to most other insects, Pieris caterpillars are able to detoxify these chemicals, and have become so specialised that they will not eat any food without glucosinolates. The Pieris females, in turn, check for the presence of glucosinolates before laying eggs on a plant. The crop-damaging species have spread from Eurasia to most of the rest of the world (most recently to South America and Africa) and are considered pest insects almost everywhere.
The females of many Pieris butterflies are UV reflecting, while the male wings are strongly UV absorbing due to pigments in the scales.
Species and notable subspecies
Arranged alphabetically:
