Phoebis philea

Phoebis philea, the orange-barred sulphur, is a species of butterfly found in the Americas including the Caribbean.[1]

Orange-barred sulphur
Adult male - ventral view
Adult female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Pieridae
Genus:
Phoebis
Species:
P. philea
Binomial name
Phoebis philea
Synonyms
  • Papilio philea Linnaeus, 1763
  • Callidryas philea (Linnaeus, 1763)
  • Papilio aricye Cramer, [1776]
  • Papilio melanippe Stoll, [1781]
  • Colias lollia Godart, 1819
  • Colias aricia Godart, 1819
  • Colias corday Hübner, [1819]

The wingspan is 68 to 80 mm.[1] There are two to three generations per year in Florida and one in the northern part of the range with adults on wing from mid to late summer. The species habitat is in tropical scrub, gardens, fields, and forest edges. Orange-barred sulphurs are often found in large dense groups of mixed species, including the statira sulphur (Aphrissa statira), apricot sulphur (Phoebis argante), and the straight-line sulphur (Rhabdodryas trite).[2] The species eats nectar from red-colored plants.

The larvae feed on Cassia species.

Subspecies
  • Phoebis philea philea (Linnaeus, 1763) (US to Brazil)
  • Phoebis philea huebneri Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Cuba)
  • Phoebis philea thalestris (Illiger, 1801) (Hispaniola)
Pinned specimens, both sides
Larvae hosting on Cassia Bakeriana in Miami
Larvae hosting on Cassia Bakeriana in Miami

References
  1. Orange-barred Sulphur, Butterflies of Canada
  2. adrianhoskins@hotmail.co.uk. "Butterflies of Amazonia - Aphrissa statira". www.learnaboutbutterflies.com. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  • P. Brock, Jim; Kaufman, Kenn (2003). Butterflies of North America. New York, New York: Houghtin Mifflin Company. p. 76. ISBN 0-618-25400-5.
  • "Orange-barred Sulphur (Phoebis philea)". Learn about Butterflies. Retrieved 2012-04-05.


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