Green-veined White (Pieris napi) and Mountain Green-veined White (Pieris bryoniae)
2009 photos highlighted in yellow. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 2519_male_Var_9Jul06 - napi | 4570_female_Rhone_12Apr07 - napi | 16184_female_Rhone_15Jun09 - napi |
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| 2529_female_Var_9Jul06 - napi | 8298_male_Valais, Switzerland_22Jul07 - bryoniae | 7610_female_Alpes Maritimes_26Jun07 - bryoniae |
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| 12206_female_Hautes Alpes_8Jul08 - bryoniae | 1033_female_Var_26May06 - brassicae |
I believe that 2519 and 2529 are second brood specimens of the southern European napi subspecies meridionalis, rather larger than the nominate form, and quite lightly marked.
2519: a male meridionalis, the southern form, and second brood. The unh ground colour is very pale yellow, too pale I think for it to be the Small White (P. rapae) or the Southern Small White (P. mannii). The unf s4 spot is not strong and is quite pale, pointing strongly toward napi, but the apical area seems quite extensive for napi, hence the uncertainty. I wonder what the two unh brown marks are, the one in the cell being larger; the possibility of a parasite in the cell comes to mind, but it would be in a very odd position, and the lower spot looks like a brown mark, and too small for a parasite. Altitude 230m.
4570: a first brood female napi, with the characteristic heavily suffused upf. Altitude 200m.
16184: a second brood female napi. I originally had this on the page for the Large White (P. brassicae) because that is what it clearly looked like, and I did not give it sufficient attention. The main reason for this, which I find surprising, is that I don't think I had previously seen a second generation female napi upperside, or at least, not knowingly. It is not a common species in Var. The dark apical mark looked good for brassicae as did the two black spots, and the absence of any real "green" or dusted veins. The illustration of second generation female napi in T&L shows the apical mark as rather fragmenting around veins 4-6 at the margins rather than the solid area as in 16184. However, the brassicae apical mark is solid black, whereas 16184 is rather greyer, and the brassicae apical mark is also smooth where it joins the costa, whereas 16184 has a pronounced "shoulder". Brassicae 1033 is given above for comparison. 16184 also looks very "white", but the lesson, for me at least, is always to look closely even if the ID seems obvious. Thanks to Tim Cowles for bringing this to my notice. Altitude 200m.
2529: a female napi meridionalis, southern form, and second brood. The unh ground colour is very pale creamy-white and the grey scaling around the cell area is very light. Altitude 230m.
8298: a male bryoniae. The first brood male napi looks very similar, but 8298 cannot be a first brood napi on 22 July (can it?). It seems to me from T&L that the forewing apex is much more pointed in bryoniae than napi, and 8298 certainly appears to be bryoniae on this basis. Altitude 2200m.
7610: a female bryoniae based on the body shape, although it looks nothing like the illustration in T&L. Altitude 1875m.
12206: a female bryoniae, more typically heavily suffused. Altitude 1990m.
4570_female_Rhone_12Apr07 - napi
16184_female_Rhone_15Jun09 - napi
8298_male_Valais, Switzerland_22Jul07 - bryoniae
7610_female_Alpes Maritimes_26Jun07 - bryoniae
12206_female_Hautes Alpes_8Jul08 - bryoniae
