''Colias croceus'', clouded yellow, is a small

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprise ...

of the family

Pieridae The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia.DeVries P. J. in Le ...

, that is, the yellows and whites.

Subspecies and forms

* ''Colias croceus croceus'' * ''Colias croceus'' f. ''deserticola'' (Verity, 1909) * ''Colias croceus'' f. ''helice'' ( Hübner) * ''Colias croceus'' f. ''helicina'' (Oberthür, 1880) * ''Colias crocea'' f. ''mediterranea'' (Stauder, 1913) All said forms are usually considered synonyms of ''Colias croceus''. (MHNT) Colias croceus f. helice - Wyzyna, Okolice Polska - male dorsal.jpg, ''Colias croceus f. helice'' Pieridae - Colias croceus (male).JPG, Male Clouded yellow (Colias croceus) female Italy.jpg, female Clouded yellows (Colias croceus) mating Bulgaria.jpg, Mating Colias croceus plate.jpg, Mounted specimen. Male (up) and female (down)

Distribution and ecology

''Colias croceus'' is one of the most-widespread species in Europe. The common clouded yellow's breeding range is

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

southern Europe Southern Europe is the southern region of Europe. It is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is essentially marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of Southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Alba ...

and eastwards through

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

into the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

but it occurs throughout much of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

as a summer migrant, in good years individuals reaching

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

. In

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, its range extends into central

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

in the north and barely into

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in the south; it is not found in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

.Funet
/ref> This species is primarily an immigrant to the UK, originating from southern Europe and northern Africa.UK Butterflies
/ref> In the UK they can be seen on the south coast almost every year in varying numbers, and regularly breed there. Occurrence in the rest of the UK varies considerably from year to year, but they are increasingly observed as far north as Dumfries and

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or ...

. It has also been recorded in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

from the Raven, Co. Wexford, to Belfast, Co. Down. A truly migratory European butterfly, this species is famous for occasional mass migrations and subsequent breeding, which are often referred to in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as "clouded yellow years". Notable clouded yellow years include 1877, 1947, 1983, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 2000.

Habitat

These butterflies may live in any open area in the countryside, including

downland Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs. This term is used to describe the characteristic landscape in southern England where chalk is exposed at the surface. The name "downs" is deriv ...

, coastal cliffs and fields containing the caterpillar's host plants, at an elevation up to above sea level.

Description

''Colias croceus'' has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

of .Simon Coombe
Captain's European Butterfly Guide
/ref> The upperside of the wings is golden to orange yellow with a broad black margin on all four wings and a black spot near the centre forewing. Usually these butterflies settles with its wings closed, consequently the black margin of the uppersides of the wings is difficultly visible. The underside lacks the black borders and is lighter, with a more greenish tint, particularly on the forewings. In the forewing underside is the same dark spot as on the upperside, but often with a light centre; the hindwing underside has a white centre spot, often with a smaller white or dark dot immediately above it. Sometimes, a row of black dots occurs on the underwings' outer margins, corresponding to where the black border ends on the upperside. Females differ from the males in having yellow spots along the black borders on the upperside. In flight, ''Colias croceus'' is easily identifiable by the intense yellow colouring, much brighter than that of the lemon-yellow male

common brimstone ''Gonepteryx rhamni'' (known as the common brimstone) is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It lives throughout the Palearctic realm, Palearctic zone and is commonly found across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Across much of its range, it is ...

which also lacks black markings. Like all ''

Colias ''Colias'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus '' Zerene'', which is so ...

'' species they never open their wings at rest. In a small proportion of females (about 5%) the golden upperside colouration is replaced by a pale cream colour. These females have been distinguished as

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data ...

''helice''. The pale form ''helice'' does not seem to be that distinct as intermediates exist and the variation is to some extent related to

humidity Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity dep ...

during development, with dryer conditions producing paler colouration. These pale forms ''helice'' can be confused with Berger's clouded yellow ('' Colias alfacariensis'') and the rarer Pale clouded yellow (''

Colias hyale ''Colias hyale'', the pale clouded yellow, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, (also known as the yellows and whites) which is found in most of Europe and large parts of the Palearctic. It is a rare migrant to the British Isles and Scandinavia ...

''). Even the palest ''C. croceus'' tends to have more black on the upperside however, in particular on the hindwings. Young caterpillars are yellow-green, with a black head. Later they become completely dark green, with a white red spotted lateral line after the third moult. The pupae are green and have a yellow side stripe. This species is rather similar to ''

Colias myrmidone ''Colias myrmidone'', the Danube clouded yellow, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. Distribution It is found from Western Asia, through Southern Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary up to Austria and the Jura Mountains The Jura Mountains ...

'', ''

Colias chrysotheme ''Colias chrysotheme'', the lesser clouded yellow, is a small Palearctic butterfly belonging to the family Pieridae. Description The female is white, with a tinge of yellow green. The male is pale yellow on the upper wing, and the edges are blac ...

'', '' Colias erate'', ''

'', '' Colias alfacariensis'', '' Colias caucasica'', '' Colias aurorina''.Lepiforum.de
/ref>

Life cycle and larval host plants

Adults fly from March to October. In southern Europe and North Africa they breed continuously throughout the year. Eggs are laid singly on food plant leaves. Usually an extraordinary number of eggs – up to 600 – are laid from a single female. The caterpillars grow fast in warm weather, sometimes

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

ting within a month. Caterpillars have 4 moults in total. The pupa remains attached to a foodplant stem by a silk girdle. Pupation lasts for two or three weeks and in good years there can be as many as three

generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...

s per year, with adults still on the wing at the beginning of November. Larvae feed on a variety of

leguminous A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock for ...

plants, namely

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is widely ...

(''

Trifolium pratense ''Trifolium pratense'', the red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions. Description Red clove ...

'', ''

Medicago sativa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

'', '' Medicago lappacea'', ''

Medicago hispida ''Medicago polymorpha'' is a plant species of the genus ''Medicago''. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found throughout the world. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium ''Sinorhizobium medicae'', which is capable of n ...

'', ''

Medicago polymorpha ''Medicago polymorpha'' is a plant species of the genus ''Medicago''. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found throughout the world. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium ''Sinorhizobium medicae'', which is capable of n ...

'', '' Medicago sulcata'', ''

Vicia ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

'', '' Lotus'', ''

Onobrychis __NOTOC__ ''Onobrychis'', the sainfoins, are a genus of Eurasian perennial herbaceous plants of the legume family (Fabaceae). Including doubtfully distinct species and provisionally accepted taxa, about 150 species are presently known. The Flora ...

'', ''

Astragalus ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to tempe ...

'', '' Colutea arborescens'', '' Hippocrepis'', and ''

Anthyllis ''Anthyllis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Fabaceae. This genus contains both herbaceous plant, herbaceous and shrubby species and is distributed in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The most widespread a ...

'' species). In the UK wild and cultivated

clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

s (''Trifolium'') and alfalfa (''Medicago sativa'') are favourites; less frequently,

common bird's-foot trefoil ''Lotus corniculatus'' is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to grasslands in temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Common names include common bird's-foot trefoil, eggs and bacon, birdsfoot deervetch, and just bird's-foot trefo ...

Lotus corniculatus ''Lotus corniculatus'' is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to grasslands in temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Common names include common bird's-foot trefoil, eggs and bacon, birdsfoot deervetch, and just bird's-foot trefoi ...

'' is eaten. Adults feed primarily on nectar of thistles (''

Cirsium ''Cirsium'' is a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae, one of several genera known commonly as thistles. They are more precisely known as plume thistles. These differ from other thistle genera (''Carduus'', '' Sily ...

'' spp. and '' Carduus'' spp.), knapweeds (''

Centaurea ''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding reg ...

'' spp.), dandelion (''

Taraxacum ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

''), fleabane (''

Pulicaria dysenterica ''Pulicaria dysenterica'', the common fleabane, or, in North America, meadow false fleabane, is a species of fleabane in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia where it grows in a variety of habitats ranging from semi-ari ...

''), marjoram (''

Origanum vulgare Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a woody perennial pl ...

''), ragwort (''

Senecio jacobaea ''Jacobaea vulgaris'', syn. ''Senecio jacobaea'', is a very common wild flower in the family Asteraceae that is native to northern Eurasia, usually in dry, open places, and has also been widely distributed as a weed elsewhere. Common names inc ...

''), and vetches (''

'' spp.).

Bibliography

* Asher, Jim; Warren, Martin; Fox, Richard; Harding, Paul; Jeffcoate, Gail & Jeffcoate, Stephen (2001): ''The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies of Britain and Ireland''. Oxford University Press. * *

References

External links

Larvae of North-European Lepidoptera
* Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil

* ttp://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=70536 ''C. croceus'' imagesat

Consortium for the Barcode of Life The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...

BMNH
images of named aberrations in the

Cockayne Cockaigne or Cockayne () is a land of plenty in medieval myth, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist. S ...

collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q520871 croceus Butterflies of Africa Butterflies of Europe Butterflies of Asia Lepidoptera of Cape Verde Butterflies described in 1785

Subspecies and forms

Distribution and ecology

Habitat

Description

Life cycle and larval host plants

See also

Bibliography

References

External links