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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies and Skippers (Papilionoidea) » Whites, Sulphurs, Yellows (Pieridae) » Whites (Pierinae) » Marbles and Orangetips (Anthocharidini) » Orangetips (Anthocharis) » Falcate Orangetip - Hodges#4207 (Anthocharis midea)

Species Anthocharis midea - Falcate Orangetip - Hodges#4207

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Falcate Orangetip - Anthocharis midea - female

Falcate Orangetip - Anthocharis midea - male

Falcate Orangetip chrysalis - Anthocharis midea

Anthocharis midea chrysalis - Anthocharis midea

Falcate orangetip butterfly - Anthocharis midea - female

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

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 Pierinae (Whites)

Tribe Anthocharidini (Marbles and Orangetips)

Genus Anthocharis (Orangetips)

Species midea (Falcate Orangetip - Hodges#4207)

Hodges Number

4207

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Anthocharis midea (Hübner)

Orig. Comb: Mancipium midea Hübner 1809

Size

Wingspan 3.5-4.5 cm

Identification

Males are distinctive in eastern North America. A small "white" with orange wing-tips. Females are somewhat larger with no orange on wings. Both have marbled undersurface of hindwing and dark dots on forewings. Flies in early spring, and usually adjacent to woodlands.

larva:

Range

e US (TX-FL-MA-KS) - Map (MPG)

Habitat

Deciduous woodlands

Season

mostly: Mar-May (BG data)

Food

Adults take nectar from spring wildflowers, such as Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica), Toothwort (Dentaria), and Violets (Viola).

Life Cycle

Males patrol for females and don't seem to stop to nectar very often. Males are usually seen first in the spring (pers. observation, P. Coin, Durham, NC). Larvae feed on plants of mustard family (Brassicaceae). These include rock cress Arabis, winter cress Barbarea, and toothwort, Cardamine (Dentaria). One egg is laid per plant. Caterpillar pupates by late spring. Spends most of year as a chrysalis. Some individuals spend a second winter in the chrysalis stage.

Remarks

The spring butterfly that accompanies the spring ephemeral wildflowers in the eastern deciduous forests. A little flighty and difficult to photograph.

Print References

The Butterflies of North America (1)

Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East (2)

Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides) (3)

Allen, Butterflies of West Virginia (4)

Internet References

Moth Photographers Group - MPG

Butterflies of America - BOA

Butterflies of North Carolina (5)

Works Cited

1.	The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide James A. Scott. 1992. Stanford University Press.

2.	Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East Jeffrey Glassberg. 1999. Oxford University Press.

3.	Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides) Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman. 2003. Houghton Mifflin Co.

4.	The Butterflies of West Virginia and Their Caterpillars Thomas J. Allen. 1998. University of Pittsburgh Press.

5.	Notes on the Butterflies of North Carolina

Contributed by Cotinis on 27 April, 2004 - 8:00pm
Additional contributions by Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn
Last updated 18 August, 2016 - 8:15am

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