''Pieris angelika'' (Arctic white) is a cold-climate

butterfly 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 ...

of the family Pieridae. Its main range is in north-western Canada (

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

, north-western

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

) and

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. Its taxonomic name may change in the future, because it was previously described and named before 1983.

Features

Adult butterflies have an average wingspan of 33 to 42mm. Viewed from above, males are mostly white, with a thin black line in the costa and margin. Black shading can also be seen on the wings. The underside of the males can be a pale yellow, and are often seen with dark green veins. Females can be white or yellow and often exhibit dark scaling and patches along the veins.

References

angelica ''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...

Butterflies described in 1983 Insects of the Arctic Butterflies of North America Lepidoptera of Canada Lepidoptera of the United States {{Pieridae-stub