''Elodina parthia'', the chalk white, is a
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
in 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 Levi ...
. It is found in the Australian states of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
.
Australian Insects
/ref>
The 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 of ...
is about 35 mm. The upperside of the wings is white with dark brown wingtips, while the underside is white with a yellow patch near the body.
The larvae feed on various Capparaceae species, including ''Capparis arborea
''Capparis arborea'' is a bush or small tree occurring in eastern Australia. The habitat is rainforest; usually riverine, littoral or the drier rainforests. Distributed from the Hunter River, New South Wales to Cape Melville in tropical Queen ...
'', ''Capparis canescens
''Capparis canescens'', also known as wild orange, orangewood, native pomegranate, wild pomegranate or grey capparis, is a species of plant in the caper family. It is native to north-eastern Australia.
Description
The species grows as a shrub ...
'' and '' Capparis spinosa''. They are green with a white dorsal line and sometimes some dark red spots. Pupation takes place in a green pupa with white stripes, which is attached to a twig or leaf of the host plant.
References
Butterflies described in 1853
parthia
Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...
{{Pieridae-stub