''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of
butterflies
Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
in the family
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family (biology), family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from Afrotropical realm, tropical Africa and Indomalayan realm, tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern ...
; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of most species. These share the same name as the much larger tropical genus Anteos. These inhabit much of central and South America and also North America. This species are known for being the kings of butterfly longevity. 10–13 months is the lifespan for many temperate species. Anteos, however, is much shorter lived. The adults will often mimic ivy leaves at rest. Male brimstone butterflies can withstand cooler temperatures and are able to fly after just 4 months in hibernation. Female brimstone butterflies need warmer climates to survive, and therefore are in hibernation longer. The male butterflies have a longer life span as they are more resilient to a wider range of temperatures, unlike the female.
Species
It contains the following species:
''Gonepteryx''
funet.fi
* ''Gonepteryx acuminata
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (C. & R. Felder, 1862)
* ''Gonepteryx aspasia
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Ménétriès, 1859)
* '' Gonepteryx amintha'' (Blanchard, 1871)
* ''Gonepteryx burmensis
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Tytler 1926)
* ''Gonepteryx chitralensis
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Moore, 1905)
* ''Gonepteryx cleobule
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Hübner, 1824) – Canary brimstone
* ''Gonepteryx cleopatra
''Gonepteryx cleopatra'', the Cleopatra or Cleopatra butterfly, is a medium-sized butterfly of the family Pieridae.
Subspecies
The species ''Gonepteryx cleopatra'' is divided into the following ten subspecies:
*''G. c. cleopatra'' (Linnaeus, 17 ...
'' (Linnaeus, 1767) – Cleopatra
* ''Gonepteryx eversi
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Rehnelt, 1974
* ''Gonepteryx farinosa
''Gonepteryx farinosa '' , the Powdered Brimstone, is a butterfly found in the Palearctic that belongs to the whites family.
Subspecies
*''G. f. farinosa'' Southeast, Asia Minor, Syria, Iran, Transcaucasia, Pamirs-Alai, Himalaya
*''G. f. t ...
'' (Zeller, 1847) – powdered brimstone
* ''Gonepteryx maderensis
''Gonepteryx maderensis'', the Madeira brimstone, is a species of butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is endemic to Madeira. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habit ...
'' (Felder, 1862) – Madeira brimstone
* ''Gonepteryx mahaguru
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Gistel, 1857) – lesser brimstone
* ''Gonepteryx maxima
''Gonepteryx maxima'' is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1885. It is found from north-eastern China to Korea, Japan, the Russian Far East (Amur, Ussuri) and Japan. The habitat consists of steppe
...
'' (Butler, 1885)
* ''Gonepteryx nepalensis
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Doubleday, 1847)
* ''Gonepteryx palmae
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Stamm 1963) – La Palma brimstone
* ''Gonepteryx rhamni
''Gonepteryx rhamni'', commonly named the common brimstone, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It lives throughout the Palearctic zone and is commonly found across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Across much of its range, it is the only spe ...
'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – common brimstone
* ''Gonepteryx taiwana
''Gonepteryx'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae; there are about 15 species of ''Gonepteryx''. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow colour of the wings of mos ...
'' (Paravicini 1913)
References
''Gonepteryx''
Tree of Life
''Gonepteryx''
Encyclopedia of Life
Wiklund, C., Lindfors, V., & Forsberg, J. (1996). Early male emergence and reproductive phenology of the adult overwintering butterfly gonepteryx rhamni in Sweden. Oikos, 75(2), 227. https://doi.org/10.2307/3546246
Pieridae genera
Taxa named by William Elford Leach
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Coliadinae
Taxa described in 1819
{{pieridae-stub