Biology:Pontia helice

Short description: Species of butterfly

Meadow white
Pontia helice johnstonii - Taita Hills, Kenya
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Pontia
Species:	P. helice
Binomial name
Pontia helice (Linnaeus, 1764)
Subspecies
P. h. helice P. h. johnstonii (Crowley, 1887)
Synonyms
Papilio helice Linnaeus, 1764 Papilio hellica Linnaeus, 1767 Papilio raphani Esper, 1783 Synchloe johnstonii Crowley, 1887

Pontia helice, the meadow white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in southern Africa.

Wingspan is 35–40 mm in males and 37–43 mm in females. Flight period is year-round.

The larvae feed on Heliophila species, Lobularia maritima, Lepidum capense, Rapistrum rugosum, and Reseda odorata.

Subspecies

• P. h. helice (Mozambique, Zimbabwe, southern Botswana, southern Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho)
• P. h. johnstonii (Crowley, 1887) (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo)

References

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 14

Wikidata ☰ Q1347973 entry