Large Whites and Small Whites

Posted on by ardenshakespeare

Known as the ‘Cabbage Butterfly’ or ‘Cabbage White’, the Small White (Pieris rapae) caterpillar feasts on plants of the Brassicaceae family. It is a major pest, and following its accidental introduction to China, North America, Australia and New Zealand, farmers have attempted to control its spread.

The Large White has a more limited distribution, and is found predominantly in Europe and Africa. Large Whites were discovered in New Zealand in 2010, and local efforts including a bounty of NZ $10 per butterfly enabled their eradication by 2014.

The Large White differs from the Small White in that the black markings on its upper forewings are more more horizontal than vertical, whereas the same marks on the Small White are more vertical than horizontal. Both belong to the Pieridae family, along with Orange-Tip and Brimstone butterflies.

 

whites sketchmoving white done

Sources

All photographs and diagrams by AM Fletcher

Klein, Alice, ‘New Zealand is the first country to wipe out invasive butterfly’, New Scientist (29 November 2016) <https://www.newscientist.com/article/2114573-new-zealand-is-the-first-country-to-wipe-out-invasive-butterfly/&gt;

CABI 2018: ‘Pieris Rapae’, Invasive Species Compendium (Wallingford, UK: CAB International) <https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/41167&gt;

Eeles, Peter, ‘Large White’ and ‘Small White’, UK Butterflies (2002-2018) <http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=brassicae&gt; <http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=rapae&gt;