white butterfly

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white butterfly

insect

Also known as: Pierinae

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Related Topics:: cabbage white; orange-tip butterfly; Pieridae; large cabbage white; European cabbage butterfly

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white butterfly, (subfamily Pierinae), any of a group of butterflies in the family Pieridae (order Lepidoptera) that are named for their white wings with black marginal markings. The family Pieridae also includes the orange-tip and sulfur butterflies and consists of approximately 1,100 species. The adult white butterflies have a wingspan of 37 to 63 mm (1.5 to 2.5 inches). Sexual seasonal dimorphism in pattern and colour occur in many species. Many of the green, slender larvae are pests. In many species, the larvae are covered with a short down, or pile. The pupae are attached to a twig by a ...(100 of 146 words)

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