''Eurema mexicana'', the Mexican yellow, sometimes called the wolf-face sulphur,James A. Scott (1986). ''The Butterflies of North America''. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. is a

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

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 occurs mainly in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

but occasionally is found in central and southwestern United States and rarely in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

.Mexican Yellow
Butterflies of Canada

Description

The upperside of the wings is pale yellow with a black forewing submarginal border outlining a "dog" or "wolf-face" pattern. The hindwing has a small outer margin black border. The male has a bright yellow patch on the leading edge of the hindwing. The underside of the wings is pale yellow in summer individuals and pale yellow with reddish markings or all reddish pink in winter individuals. The hindwing is sharply pointed.Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). ''Butterflies of North America''. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. The wingspan measures to inches (32–57 mm).Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin (2001). ''Butterflies of Arizona''. West Coast Lady Press.

Similar species

Similar species in the Mexican yellow's range include Boisduval's yellow ('' Eurema boisduvaliana'') and the Salome yellow ('' Eurema salome''). Boisduval's yellow is smaller and brighter yellow, the male has a weaker "dog face" pattern, the female has reduced black on the upper side, and the hindwing is less sharply pointed. The Salome yellow is brighter yellow, has more limited black on the upperside, and the underside of the hindwing has a round reddish spot near the trailing edge.

Habitat

The Mexican yellow lives in a variety of open habitats such as woodland edges, open woodlands, and desert grasslands.Thomas J. Allen, Jim P. Brock and Jeffrey Glassberg (2005). ''Caterpillars in the Field and Garden''. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

Flight

This butterfly may be seen almost all year in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, and April to November in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

. It strays northward in late summer, rarely reaching

Life cycle

Males will patrol all day looking for females. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

is green with a middorsal creamy or yellow stripe and a lateral yellow stripe. The Mexican yellow has 3-4

brood Brood may refer to: Nature * Brood, a collective term for offspring * Brooding, the incubation of bird eggs by their parents * Bee brood, the young of a beehive * Individual broods of North American Periodical Cicadas: ** Brood X, the largest bro ...

s per year.

Host plants

Here is a list of host plants used by the Mexican yellow: * New Mexican locust, ''

Robinia neomexicana ''Robinia neomexicana'', the New Mexican, New Mexico, Southwest, desert, pink, or rose locust, is a shrub or small tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the family Fabaceae. Distribution ''Robinia neomexicana'' is native to the Southwestern United ...

'' * Fern acacia, ''

Acacia angustissima ''Acaciella angustissima'' (prairie acacia, white ball acacia, ocpatl, or palo de pulque) is most recognized for its drought tolerance and its ability to be used as a green manure and ground covering. It is a perennial, deciduous, and belongs to ...

'' * Prairie acacia, ''

'' var. ''hirta'' * '' Cassia'' species * '' Diphysa robinoides''.''Eurema''
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References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2362052 Mex Butterflies of North America Butterflies of Central America Pieridae of South America Lepidoptera of Brazil Lepidoptera of Colombia Lepidoptera of Ecuador Lepidoptera of Venezuela Fauna of the Amazon Butterflies described in 1836 Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval