''Leptidea reali'', the Réal's wood white, is a

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 ...

Appearance, behaviour and distribution

Réal's wood white has been found in many western Europe countries but has not been found in Britain. 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 ...

, where it was only positively identified in 2001, it is more common and far more widespread than the wood white (''L. sinapis''). Since it looks and behaves like its close relative further research is needed to discover its true distribution, indeed on the continent its current known distribution is suspiciously patchy. The only conclusive way to separate the two species is by close examination of the genitalia. A 2011 study concludes that ''L. reali'' is one of three members of a

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

complex which comprises ''L. sinapis'' and a new species ''L. juvernica''. This study was based on karyotype analysis and analysis of mitochondrial nuclear DNA markers. ''L. reali'' was found to occur only in Spain, Italy and southern France. ''L. juvernica'' ranges from Ireland and France in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. Measurements of genitalia for the three species allow separation of these two species from ''L. sinapis'', ''L. juvernica'' and ''L. reali'' could not be separated based on genitalia measurements. ''L. juvernica'' is also named the cryptic wood white. Field

lepidopterist Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post-Renaissance, t ...

s have reported behavioural differences between ''L. reali'' and ''L. sinapis'' with Réal's being described as a stronger flier and with a preference for more open

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...

s. It had also been noted that specimens from Ireland thought to ''L. sinapis'' had a noticeably stronger green tinge. Leptidea juvernica Ireland.jpg, ''L. juvernica'', in Northern Ireland. Leptidaerealimale1.jpg, Male specimen of ''L. juvernica'' from Ireland. The end of the abdomen has been removed to allow correct identification through the preparation of a genitalia mount. Leptidearealimalegenitalia.jpg, Genitalia of a male specimen of ''L. juvernica'' from Ireland, under a microscope. These cannot be separated from those of ''L. reali'', and the measurements shown beneath are diagnostic for the separation from ''L. sinapis''.

Life cycle and food plants

The life cycle, flight period and food plants appear at present to be similar to the wood white.

References

*David Tomlinson & Rob Sill ''Britain's Butterflies'' Wild Guides *Nelson, B., Hughes M., Nash, R. and Warren, M.S., 2001 ''Leptidea reali'' Reissinger 1989 a butterfly species new to Britain and Ireland. ''Entomologist's Record and Journal of Variation'' 113: 97-101. *Nash, R., Hughes, M., Nelson, B., and Warren, M., 2001 Real's Wood White ''Leptidea reali'' Reissinger, 1989 A Butterfly new to Britain and Ireland ''Atropos'' 14: 12-15.

External links

Butterfly Conservation Ireland
Summary of the ''sinapis'' cryptic species complex. Leptidea Butterflies of Europe {{Pieridae-stub