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The Madeiran large white (''Pieris brassicae wollastoni'') was a
Large White
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1235485 Pieris (butterfly) Butterflies of Africa Arthropods of Madeira Endemic fauna of Madeira Butterfly subspecies Taxa named by Arthur Gardiner Butler Butterflies described in 1886 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of the large white butterfly, endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to Madeira
Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
. It was described by the English entomologist, Arthur Gardiner Butler
Arthur Gardiner Butler F.L.S., F.Z.S. (27 June 1844 – 28 May 1925) was an English entomologist, arachnologist and ornithologist. He worked at the British Museum on the taxonomy of birds, insects, and spiders.
Biography
Arthur Gardiner B ...
in 1886.
Description
They can reach a size of 55 to 65 millimeters (2 to 2.5 inches). The wings are pure white with a wide black tip on the apexes of the forewings. Its naturalhabitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
is the laurisilva
Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and el ...
laurel forest
Laurel forest, also called laurisilva or laurissilva, is a type of subtropical forest found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable, mild temperatures. The forest is characterized by broadleaf tree species with evergreen, glossy and el ...
.
Larvae have yellow stripes on the upper part of the green body and has black lumps. Known food plants are nasturtium ('' Tropaeolum majus'') and cabbage (''Brassica oleracea
''Brassica oleracea'', also known as wild cabbage in its uncultivated form, is a plant of the family Brassicaceae. The species originated from feral populations of related plants in the Eastern Mediterranean, where it was most likely first cultiv ...
'').
Decline
This butterfly was last collected in 1994, and has not been found since despite a 15-year survey during the 1990s and 2000s. It was officially declared extinct by the IUCN in 2023. The disappearance of this species coincides with the introduction, in the 1950s, of the small white butterfly (''Pieris rapae''). The mechanisms involved are not fully understood but aviral infection
A viral disease (or viral infection) occurs when an organism's body is invaded by pathogenic viruses, and infectious virus particles (virions) attach to and enter susceptible cells.
Examples include the common cold, gastroenteritis, COVID-19, t ...
may be involved with the small white introducing a different strain of the granulosis virus, for which the Madeiran large white had no resistance. Another reason may be the introduction of a widely introduced agricultural bioagent, the wasp parasitoid, ''Cotesia glomerata
''Cotesia glomerata'', the white butterfly parasite, is a small parasitoid wasp belonging to family Braconidae. It was Species description, described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 publication 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Description
The a ...
'', which was found in the western Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...
in May 2006. It uses the 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 ...
as a host and is commonly found where Pieridae species are in abundance.
Distribution
Endemic to Madeira and found in the northern valleys of the laurel forest.Etymology
The scientific name commemoratesThomas Vernon Wollaston
Thomas Vernon Wollaston (9 March 1822 – 4 January 1878) was an England, English entomologist and malacologist, becoming especially known for his studies of Coleoptera inhabiting several North Atlantic archipelagoes. He was well-placed sociall ...
, an English entomologist
Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
who has discovered several insect taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...
on Madeira.
References
Further reading
* Holt White, A. E.; Holt White, Rashleigh (ed.) (1894) '' The butterflies and moths of Teneriffe''. Illustrated from the author's drawings. L. Reeve & Co., LondonExternal links
Large White
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1235485 Pieris (butterfly) Butterflies of Africa Arthropods of Madeira Endemic fauna of Madeira Butterfly subspecies Taxa named by Arthur Gardiner Butler Butterflies described in 1886 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot