Pine white | |
---|---|
Male | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pieridae |
Genus: | Neophasia |
Species: | N. menapia
|
Binomial name | |
Neophasia menapia | |
Synonyms | |
|
Neophasia menapia, the pine white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in the western United States and in southern British Columbia, Canada. [1] [2] [3]
It is mostly white with black veins and wing bars. The species is similar to Neophasia terlooii but their ranges only overlap in New Mexico. [1] [2]
The wingspan is 42–50 millimetres (1.7–2.0 in). [1] Its habitats include pine forests and Douglas fir forests in northern coastal California. [4]
The host plants are Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Abies balsamea, Abies grandis, and Picea sitchensis. [5] Adults feed on flower nectar from rabbitbrush, other yellow-flowered composites, and monarda. [4]
Neophasia menapia are a univoltine species that lay their eggs on live pine needles, as stated by a scientific research paper ("Phylogeography and the population genertics of pine butterflies") that details the differences between Neophasia. [6]
Subspecies include: