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Pieris rapae
Medium size butterfly with a wingspan of roughly 32–47 mm The upperside is creamy white with black tips to the forewings. Females also have two black spots in the centre of the forewings. Its underwings are yellowish with black speckles. Its caterpillars can be a pest on cultivated cabbages and similar.
Spotted on the path edge
Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/125 sec.; f/25; ISO Speed Rating: 400. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.
Spotted on Aug 11, 2012
Submitted on Sep 26, 2012
3 Comments
Please, note, that a Large Small White might be larger than a small Large White, hehehehe! Size is in my opinion NOT a criteria (although there are some who count size as a distinctive feature, in that discussion I disagree), since it is always tricky to judge the size and there are large variation within the species and season/generations! Summer generation Rapae might be of the same size like a Large White. The only safe criteria is the extension of the edge marking in comparison to the black spot: Rapae NOT below the spot and only to the 3rd vein and in Brassicae extending BELOW this spot (about the 5th vein). Unfortunately you can't see clearly these markings without an open wing shot you have to look at the "shadow" on the ventral view. Rapae tend to have a smaller black spot than Brassicae. In yours #2 I think this would be a "small" spot. I tend to believe you, I just wanted to take a look to Brassicae as well.
No bayucca, no open wing view. But sizes are very different and that is the main difference. Large white is larger, hehehe!
Besides there is a hint of the upperside markings in the underside that is more vertical in the small white and more horizontal in the large white. Check, for example
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.p...
where they compare directly both whites
What about Large White, Pieris brassicae?? The black edge on the forewing might extend below the black spot. Any open wing view?