Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Papilio albula Cramer 1776. Type locality: Surinam +Papilio cassiae Sepp 1844. Type locality: Surinam [invalid name; non. Papilio cassiae Linnaeus 1758]
Terias clara Bates 1861. Type locality: Amazonas, Brazil
Terias tapeina Bates 1861. Type locality: Pará, Brazil
Eurema melacheila Möschler 1877. Type locality: Surinam
Eurema albula (Cramer)
Our subspecies is Eurema albula celata:
Terias celata R. Felder 1869 Type locality: Veracruz, Mexico
Terias leucilla R. Felder 1869 Type locality: Veracruz, Mexico
Eurema albula celata (R. Felder)
There are additional subspecies and synonyms for populations that occur outside of our area.
Explanation of Names
Eurema albula (Cramer, 1775)
Identification
Small with rounded wings. Color white above with narrow near black border along outer margin of forewing, and also on hind wing in males. Underside usually white, but may be slightly yellowish (particularly at base of wings); otherwise much like that of E. daira and equally variable (from plain white to strongly patterned). Could be confused with rare white E. daira that lack the dark bar along the inner margin of the front wing, except with much narrower dark borders than in that species.
Can be confused with white forms of Pyrisitia species, but both P. lisa & P. nise normally have the outer margin of the front wings less rounded, and the dark border on the upper front wings is broader across the apex of the wing. Both Pyrisitia species usually have at least a trace of a dark spot at the end of the discal cell on the lower front wings, and often on the upper side, especially in P. lisa (absent on E. albula). On P. lisa there are normally two small black dots at the base of the lower hind wing (occasionally faint or one missing), lacking on the other two species.
Cuban Pyrisitia messalina is sometimes similar, and could turn up in south Florida, but it should never be found together with E. albula in the U.S. Usually the pattern is ditinctive, but in lighter individuals it may look similar to other species. It normally has a dark spot near the apex of the under side of the front wings that is lacking or insignificant in similar white species in our area.
Range
s. TX (as a 1x stray) to C. Amer. (BOA, MPG)
Remarks
stray to south Texas in 1993 (Chuah & Cushing 1995)
Print References
Chuah, H.H. & D.S. Cushing. 1995. Eurema albula (Pieridae) and Anthanassa argentea (Nymphalidae): new records for the United States (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea). Tropical Lepidoptera 6(1): 43-44.
