Ganyra josephina
| Giant white | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Ganyra |
| Species: | G. josephina |
| Binomial name | |
| Ganyra josephina (Godart, [1819])[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Ganyra josephina, the giant white, is a butterfly in the Pieridae family. It is found from southern Texas through Mexico and Central America to northern South America. The habitat consists of open, dry, subtropical forests.[2]
The wingspan is 73–96 mm (2.9–3.8 in). The cell of the upper forewing of the male contains a prominent round black spot. The wet-season form of the female has a black cell spot and also some diffuse black postmedian spots. The veins are outlined with black near the wing margins. The dry-season form of the female is not so prominently marked. Adults are on wing from September to December in southern Texas. They feed on flower nectar from a variety of weeds and garden plants including Lantana, Eupatorium and Bougainvillea.[2]
The larvae feed on older leaves of Capparidaceae species.[2]
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognized:[1]
- G. j. josephina
- G. j. josepha (Salvin & Godman, 1868) (southern Texas, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua)
- G. j. krugii (Dewitz, 1877) (Puerto Rico)
- G. j. menciae (Ramsden, [1914]) (Cuba)
- G. j. janeta (Dixey, 1915) (Venezuela)
- G. j. paramaryllis (Comstock, 1943) (Jamaica)
References
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