Species Colias alexandra - Queen Alexandra's Sulphur - Hodges#4211

Classification · Hodges Number · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Internet References

Queen Alexandra's Sulphur - Colias alexandra - female

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Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies and Skippers)

Family Pieridae (Whites, Sulphurs, Yellows)

Subfamily Coliadinae (Sulphurs and Yellows)

Genus Colias

Species alexandra (Queen Alexandra's Sulphur - Hodges#4211)

Hodges Number

4211

Size

Wing span: 1 5/8 - 2 1/4 inches (4.2 - 5.7 cm).(1)

Identification

Upper surface of male bright yellow with pale yellow at wing bases; wings edged by narrow black border crossed by yellow veins; cell spot small. Female yellow, sometimes white, with forewing border faded or absent. Underside of hindwing of both sexes green-gray; cell spot white with no surrounding ring.(1)

Range

British Columbia south and east to eastern California, Arizona and New Mexico.(1)

Habitat

Road edges, fields, meadows, sagebrush flats.(1)

Season

One flight from May-August.(1)

Food

Caterpillar hosts: Various plants in the pea family (Fabaceae) including milk vetch (Astragalus), Lupines (Lupinus), and clover (Trifolium) species.

Adult food: Nectar from flowers including blanket flower, milk vetches, and others.(1)

Life Cycle

Males patrol open areas for females. Eggs are laid singly on top of host plant leaves, which the caterpillars eat. Late-stage caterpillars overwinter.(1)

Internet References

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (1)

Contributed by tom murray on 21 July, 2005 - 5:59pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, Matthew Roth
Last updated 2 July, 2017 - 7:47am

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