Mexican yellow ♂

Description:

It is a medium to large sized Sulpher butterfly in the family (Pieridae). This specimen was a worn out male with a wingspan of 39 mm. The butterfly has white and black on the forewings and yellow and white on the hindwings. The underside has yellow with one faint line. The males and females differ due to the male having a displaced Wolf head shape on the forewing. Another difference is that the males having yellow and orange at the top of the forewing. This Sulpher butterfly also has a sharp tail like point at the tip of the forewing.

Habitat:

Semi-urban, Fort Worth, Texas. This one was seen flying in an open field near some railroad tracks. This butterfly likes sub-tropical habitat. This species is an immigrant from Mexico and Central America where the habitat is different than Texas.

Notes:

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.