''Colias'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises t ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for

Coliadinae Coliadinae, the sulphurs or yellows, are a subfamily of butterflies with about 300 described species. There are 36 species in North America, where they range from Mexico to northern Canada. In most species, males are easily distinguished from f ...

in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which is sometimes included in ''Colias''. BH015 Colias

This genus occurs throughout the

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical regi ...

, including the

arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada ( Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm ( Greenland), Finland, Iceland ...

regions. They are also found in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, China and

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. Their

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larva, larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterfly, butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawfly ...

s feed on certain Fabaceae, for example

vetch ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family ( Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

es (''Vicia''). While most are thus beneficial by keeping

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

s at bay, some occasionally become nuisance

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

s on crops like alfalfa. In some species, the wings of males have brilliant

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiati ...

reflection, while those of females do not. Adults of both sexes have various colour forms. Most if not all species of this genus, as usual for Coliadinae, do not sequester

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849 ...

s or other noxious compounds from their food plants. They are therefore a well-loved prey item of

insectivore A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...

s as compared to '' Pieris'' of the related

Pierinae The Pierinae are a large subfamily of pierid butterflies. The subfamily is one of several clades of butterflies often referred to as the whites. Species It includes the following species (additional species can be found under the tribes listed ...

. They make up this disadvantage by being more nimble and better able to evade attacks by would-be

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

s. Notable

lepidopterologist Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post- Renaissance, t ...

s who did many studies on this genus included

Julius Röber Johannes Karl Max "Julius" Röber (1861–1942) was a German entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. Röber lived in Dresden. He described many new species and genera (taxa In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural ...

J. Malcolm Fawcett James Farish Malcolm Fawcett (born 1856) was an English cavalry officer of the 5th Lancers. He was also an entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. Life The son of James Fawcett of Edinburgh, who was resident at Scaleby Castle in 1847, he wa ...

George B. Johnson Dr George B. Johnson (born 11 June 1942,Dr. George Johnson's CV (1998-2015). Retrieved September, 2015, from: http://biologywriter.com/ in Newport News, Virginia) is a science educator who for many years has written a weekly column "On Science" ...

and

Henry Rowland-Brown Henry Rowland-Brown (19 May 1865, Woodridings, Pinner – 23 May 1922, Harrow Weald, London) was an English entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. Henry was the son of barrister Henry Rowland Brown (1837-1921) and Kate or Catherine Tuc ...

Systematics

Hybridization runs rampant in these polytypic and clinal butterflies, confounding

molecular phylogenetics Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies. In general,

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived ch ...

analyses of only one type of data (particularly

mtDNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondrion, mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mit ...

sequences In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is called ...

) cannot be considered reliable. Regardless, the

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

ary distance within some "species" is so large that cryptic speciation rather than (or in addition to) interbreeding seems to be the cause. For example, the

Beringia Beringia is defined today as the land and maritime area bounded on the west by the Lena River in Russia; on the east by the Mackenzie River in Canada; on the north by 72 degrees north latitude in the Chukchi Sea; and on the south by the tip ...

n populations traditionally assigned to the northern clouded yellow (''C. hecla'') could warrant recognition as a species; hybridization between North American and Asian populations seems to have played a role in their evolution, but as a whole they appear to be a rather old and distinct lineage. Colias phicomone - Alpen-Gelbling 01 (HS)

Colias phicomone - Alpen-Gelbling 01 (HS)

Species

Listed alphabetically: * ''

Colias adelaidae ''Colias adelaidae'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the eastern Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of ...

'' Verhulst, 1991 * ''

Colias aegidii ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which i ...

'' Verhulst, 1990 * ''

Colias alfacariensis ''Colias alfacariensis'', Berger's clouded yellow, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It was separated from the pale clouded yellow, ''C. hyale'', in 1905. Berger's clouded yellow is a Palearctic species (South and Central Europe, South Ru ...

'' Ribbe, 1905 – Berger's clouded yellow * '' Colias alexandra'' W. H. Edwards, 1863 – Queen Alexandra's sulphur, Alexandra sulfur, or ultraviolet sulfur * ''

Colias alpherakii ''Colias alpherakii'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in Central Asia. Description Lighter or deeper yellow above, with well developed and sharply defined black marginal and submarginal markings and black middle spot on the forewi ...

'' Staudinger, 1882 * '' Colias aquilonaris'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1899 * ''

Colias arida ''Colias arida '' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in Tibet and western China. Taxonomy Treated as a form of ''Colias eogene'' by Röber and described as "paler than ''eogene'', the apex of the forewing being more rounded; among this ...

'' Alphéraky, 1889 * ''

Colias audre ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which is so ...

'' (Hemming, 1933) * '' Colias aurorina'' Herrich-Schäffer, 1850 – Greek clouded butterfly or dawn clouded yellow * ''

Colias baeckeri ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which i ...

'' Kotzsch, 1930 * ''

Colias behrii ''Colias behrii'', the Behr's sulphur or Sierra green sulfur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is endemic to California's Sierra Nevada from Tuolumne County south to Tulare County. The wingspan is . The upper surface of the males is du ...

'' W. H. Edwards, 1866 – Behr's sulphur or Sierra green sulfur * ''

Colias berylla ''Colias berylla'', the Everest clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites, which is found in Sikkim (India) and Tibet. Description Greenish yellow in the male, with a moderately broad, yellow-sp ...

'' Fawcett, 1904 – Everest clouded yellow * '' Colias canadensis'' Ferris, 1982 – Canada sulphur * '' Colias caucasica'' Staudinger, 1871 – Balkan clouded yellow * ''

Colias chippewa ''Colias chippewa'', the heath sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America and northeastern Asia. Its range includes Alaska across northern Canada, including all the territories, and as far east as Labrador.

'' W. H. Edwards, 1872 – heath sulphur * ''

Colias chlorocoma ''Colias chlorocoma '' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in Transcaucasia, Turkey and Iran. Taxonomy Originally described as ''Colias chlorocoma'' Christoph, 1888. Röber considered ''C. chlorocoma'' to be an apparently very rare, loc ...

'' Christoph, 1888 * '' Colias christina'' W. H. Edwards, 1863 – Christina sulphur * '' Colias christophi'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1885 * '' Colias chrysotheme'' (Esper, 1781) – lesser clouded yellow * '' Colias cocandica'' Erschoff, 1874 * ''

Colias croceus ''Colias croceus'', clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites. Subspecies and forms * ''Colias croceus croceus'' * ''Colias croceus'' f. ''deserticola'' (Verity, 1909) * ''Colias croceus'' f. ' ...

'' (Geoffroy, 1785) – dark clouded yellow or common clouded yellow * ''

Colias dimera ''Colias dimera'', the Dimera sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Tropical Andes subregion of the Neotropical realm (Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador). The species was first discovered in Colombia. It is the m ...

'' Doubleday, 1847 – dimera sulphur * ''

Colias diva ''Colias diva'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Tibet and western China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 * '' Colias dubia'' Fawcett, 1906 – dwarf clouded yellow * ''

Colias electo ''Colias electo'', the African clouded yellow or lucerne butterfly, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa, as well as Arabia. The habitat consists of temperate and montane grasslands. The wingspan is ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1763) – African clouded yellow * ''

Colias elegans ''Colias phicomone'', the mountain clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Carpathian Mountains and the Alps. It flies at altitudes of 900 to 2800 meters. The wingspan ...

'' Schultz, 1904 * ''

Colias elis ''Colias meadii'', the Mead's sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States.C. meadii'';

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

?) * ''

Colias eogene ''Colias eogene'', the fiery clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites, which is found in India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the ...

'' C. & R. Felder, 1865 – fiery clouded yellow * ''

Colias erate ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which is ...

'' (Esper, 1805) – eastern pale clouded yellow * ''

Colias erschoffi ''Colias erschoffi '' is a butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous ...

'' Alphéraky, 1881 * '' Colias eurytheme'' Boisduval, 1852 – orange sulphur, alfalfa butterfly * ''

Colias euxanthe ''Colias euxanthe'', the Puna clouded sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. **'' Euxanthe crossleyi'' (Ward, ... Pieridae of South America Taxa named by Baron Cajetan von Felder Taxa named by Rudolf Felder {{Pieridae-stub ...

'' C. & R. Felder, 1865 – Puno clouded yellow * ''

Colias felderi ''Colias felderi'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Tibet and China. Description ''Colias felderi'' is light orange red with a black margin, which is traversed by the yellow veins at the apex of the wing, and with a black mi ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 * ''

Colias fieldii ''Colias fieldii'' , the dark clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in southern Iran, India, southern China, Indochina, and Ussuri. Biology The larvae feed on Leguminosae species. Subspecies *''C. f. fieldii'' Yunna ...

'' Ménétriés, 1855 Colias myrmidone, orig

* ''

Colias flaveola ''Colias flaveola'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Tropical Andes subregion of the Neotropical realm. Description ''Colias flaveola'' is pale orange yellow in the female, in the rather broad dark distal margin of the ...

'' Blanchard, 1852 – flaveola clouded yellow * ''

Colias gigantea ''Colias gigantea'', the giant sulphur or giant northern sulfur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes Alaska across Canada to the east coast and Wyoming, Montana, and Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. ...

'' Strecker, 1900 – great (northern) sulphur * ''

Colias grumi ''Colias grumi'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in north-western China (described from Nanshan). Subspecies All described subspecies may be only ecological variations, and therefore junior synonyms. The taxa ''C. g. burch ...

'' Alpheraky, 1897 * '' Colias harfordii'' W. H. Edwards, 1877 – Harford's sulphur * '' Colias hecla'' Lefèbvre, 1836 – northern clouded yellow, Greenland sulphur, or hecla sulphur (

?) * ''

Colias heos ''Colias heos'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the East Palearctic (Altai to southern Siberia, Mongolia to Ussuri, southeastern China). Description ''C. aurora'' (''heos'') is a beautiful dark orange-red species. The vei ...

'' (Herbst, 1792) * ''

Colias hofmannorum ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which i ...

'' Eckweiler, 2000 * '' Colias hyale'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – pale clouded yellow * ''

Colias hyperborea ''Colias hyperborea'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the East Palearctic. Description ''Colias hyperborea'' is golden red or golden yellow above in the male, having rarely a bluish gloss; costal margin of forewing and inne ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1899 * ''

Colias interior ''Colias interior'', the pink-edged sulphur, is a species of North American butterfly in the family Pieridae. Description The wingspan for this butterfly is 39 to 66 mm. Distribution See range map. Life cycle There is one flight between ...

'' Scudder, 1862 – pink-edged sulphur * '' Colias johanseni'' Troubridge & Philip, 1990 – Johansen's sulphur * ''

Colias krauthii ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which i ...

'' Klots, 1935 * ''

Colias lada ''Colias lada '' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the East Palearctic (Tibet, China). Description ''Colias lada'' is deep yolk-colour, with rather narrow black distal margin, the middle spot of the forewing small; female wi ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 * '' Colias ladakensis'' Felder & Felder, 1865 – Ladakh clouded yellow * ''

Colias leechi ''Colias leechi'' is a very little known butterfly in the family Pieridae. It was described from the East Palearctic "In ramificationibus occidentalibus montium Himalayensium in valle Chonging" ( altitude). Chongqing covers a large area crisscr ...

'' Grum-Grshimailio, 1893 * ''

Colias lesbia ''Colias lesbia'' is a species of butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Neotropical realm. Description Specimens from south Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina differ so little that they cannot be separated. This form is in the male da ...

'' (Fabricius, 1775) – Lesbia clouded yellow * ''

Colias libanotica ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which i ...

'' Lederer, 1858 (sometimes included in ''C. aurorina'') * ''

Colias marcopolo ''Colias marcopolo'', the Marco Polo's colias, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in the Pamir Mountains the Hindu Kush and Afghanistan. Description ''Colias marcopolo'' is one of the smaller species. Upperside of male pale sulphur yel ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1888 * ''

Colias marnoana ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which i ...

'' Rogenhofer, 1884 * ''

Colias meadii ''Colias meadii'', the Mead's sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States.Colias montium ''Colias montium'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the eastern Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of t ...

'' Oberthür, 1886 * ''

Colias mukana ''Colias mukana'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (central Shaba) and Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country ...

'' Berger, 1981 * '' Colias myrmidone'' (Esper, 1781) – Danube clouded yellow * ''

Colias nastes ''Colias nastes'', the Labrador sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. In Europe, it is found in the north of Norway and Sweden and on rare occasions in northern Finland. It is also found in North America, specifically in Alaska, Canada ...

'' Boisduval, 1834 – Labrador sulphur * '' Colias nebulosa'' Oberthür, 1894 * ''

Colias nilagiriensis The Nilgiri clouded yellow, ''Colias nilagiriensis'', sometimes considered a subspecies of ''Colias erate'', is a small butterfly native to Shola forests of the Western Ghats. It belongs to the family Pieridae. Some authors treat this as a sub ...

'' Felder, C & R Felder, 1859 * ''

Colias nina ''Colias nina'', Fawcett's clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae - that is, the yellows and whites - that is found in India. See also *List of butterflies of India *List of butterflies of India (Pieridae) References

* ...

'' Fawcett, 1904 – Fawcett's clouded yellow * '' Colias occidentalis'' Scudder, 1862 – western sulphur or golden sulfur * '' Colias palaeno'' (Linnaeus, 1761) – moorland clouded yellow, Arctic sulphur, palaeno sulphur or pale Arctic clouded yellow * ''

Colias pelidne ''Colias pelidne'', the pelidne sulphur or blueberry sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes British Columbia across Canada as far east as Newfoundland and south to Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

'' Boisduval & Le Conte, 1829 – blueberry sulphur or pelidne sulphur * ''

Colias phicomone ''Colias phicomone'', the mountain clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the Cantabrian Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Carpathian Mountains and the Alps. It flies at altitudes of 900 to 2800 meters. The wing ...

'' (Esper, 1780) – mountain clouded yellow * ''

Colias philodice ''Colias philodice'', the common sulphur or clouded sulphur, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae. Description This species is a typical member of the genus. Both genders typically have pale yellow wings ...

'' Godart, 1819 – common sulphur, clouded sulphur * '' Colias ponteni'' Wallengren, 1860 * ''

Colias pseudochristina ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which is so ...

'' Ferris, 1989 * ''

Colias regia ''Colias regia'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the East Palearctic ( Kyrgyzstan west into Tajikistan, Tian Shan, and northern China). Description ''C. regia'' Gr.-Grsh. (26 d), from Southern Fergana Fergana ( uz, F ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1887 * ''

Colias romanovi ''Colias romanovi'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the eastern Palearctic realm ( Kyrgyzstan west into Tajikistan, Tian Shan, and northern China). Description ''C. romanovi'' Gr.-Grsh. (26 c) occurs in Southern Fergan ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1885 * ''

Colias sagartia ''Colias sagartia'' is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in the Elburz mountains in northern Iran and the mountains of north-western Iran. The wingspan is 48–54 mm. Adults are on wing from June to July in one generation per ...

'' Lederer, 1869 * ''

Colias scudderii ''Colias scudderii'', the willow sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from Alaska south through the Rocky Mountains to northern New Mexico. The habitat consists of mountain meadows and willow bogs. The wingspan is . Adult ...

'' Reakirt, 1865 – willow sulphur * '' Colias shahfuladi'' Clench & Shoumatoff, 1956 * ''

Colias sieversi ''Colias sieversi'' is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is found in Tajikistan. ''Colias sieversi'' was described from the Peter the Great Mountains, in Central Asia which occupy the eastern part of Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1887 * ''

Colias sifanica ''Colias sifanica'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the eastern Palearctic realm (China and Tibet). Description ''C. sifanica'' from Amdo and the Qinghai Lake Qinghai Lake or Ch'inghai Lake, also known by #Names, oth ...

'' Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 * ''

Colias staudingeri ''Colias staudingeri'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The habitat consists of alpine meadows at altitudes between 2,000 and 3,900 meters. Adults are on wing from June to July. Subs ...

'' Alphéraky, 1881 * ''

Colias stoliczkana ''Colias stoliczkana'', the orange clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites, that is found in India. See also *Pieridae *List of butterflies of India The following is a list of the butterflie ...

'' Moore, 1882 – orange clouded yellow * ''

Colias tamerlana ''Colias tamerlana'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the eastern Palearctic realm (western Siberia, northern China, and Mongolia). Description It is a large and very dark member of the genus ''Colias''. Biology The larva f ...

'' Staudinger, 1897 * ''

Colias thisoa ''Colias thisoa'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the mountains of the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, central Asia, southern Siberia, Turkey and Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called ...

'' Ménétriés, 1832 * ''

Colias thrasibulus ''Colias thrasibulus'', the lemon clouded yellow, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites. It is found in India. See also * Pieridae * List of butterflies of India * List of butterflies of India (Pieridae) ...

'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 – lemon clouded yellow * '' Colias thula'' Hovanitz, 1955 – Thula sulphur * ''

Colias tibetana ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which is so ...

'' Riley, 1922 * ''

Colias tyche ''Colias tyche'', the Booth's sulphur or pale Arctic clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from Baffin Island west along the Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐ� ...

'' (Böber, 1812) – pale Arctic clouded yellow, Arctic green sulphur, or Booth's sulphur * '' Colias viluiensis'' (Ménétriés, 1859) * ''

Colias wanda ''Colias wanda'' is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the eastern Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the f ...

'' Grum-Grshimaïlo, 1907 * '' Colias wiskotti'' Staudinger, 1882

Distinguishing characteristics

''Colias'' are usually some shade of yellow, orange or white. Their uppersides feature black borders (usually solid in males, often with pale spots in females). They always perch with wings closed, but upperside pattern may be seen faintly through the wing, or glimpsed in flight.Brock, J.P. & Kaufman, K. ''Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America''. Houghton Mifflin, 2003, p. 60.

Gallery

File:Colias.aurorina.heldreichi.mounted.jpg, '' Colias aurorina heldreichi'', male File:Colias myrmidone.jpg, '' Colias myrmidone'', male File:Male Orange Sulphur Megan McCarty18.jpg, '' Colias eurytheme'', male File:Colias.croceus.mounted.jpg, ''

'', male File:Colias croceus.forma helice.jpg, ''

'' f. ''helice'', female File:Colias chrysotheme.jpg, '' Colias chrysotheme'', male above, female below File:Female Clouded Sulphur Megan McCarty42.jpg, ''

'', female File:Colias philodice white form.jpg, ''

'' f. ''alba'', female File:Male Clouded Sulphur Megan McCarty40.jpg, ''

'', male File:Colias alfacariensis.jpg, ''

'', male File:Colias hyale.male.jpg, '' Colias hyale'', male File:Colias hyale.female.jpg, '' Colias hyale'', female File:Colias.palaeno.mounted.jpg, '' Colias palaeno'', male File:Colias palaeno.female.jpg, '' Colias palaeno'', female File:Colias phicomone.jpg, ''

'', male

References

External links

''Colias'' images
at

Consortium for the Barcode of Life The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...

Images representing ''Colias''
at

Encyclopedia of Life The ''Encyclopedia of Life'' (''EOL'') is a free, online encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.9 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing trusted databases curated by experts and with the assistance of no ...