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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) » Cabbage Whites, Checkered Whites, Albatrosses (Pierini) » Checkered Whites (Pontia)

Genus Pontia - Checkered Whites

Representative Images

Western White - Pontia occidentalis - male Checkered White - Pontia protodice Checkered White? - Pontia protodice - female Becker's White - Pontia beckerii Spring white? - Pontia sisymbrii Pontia occidentalis - male Pontia sp. - Pontia Pontia occidentalis - male - 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 Pierini (Cabbage Whites, Checkered Whites, Albatrosses)
Genus Pontia (Checkered Whites)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Pontia Fabricius 1807. Type species: Papilio daplidice Linnaeus
Mancipium Hübner [1807] [rejected name 214, ICZN Op. 137]. Type species: Papilio hellica Linnaeus
Synchloe Hübner [1818]. Type species: Papilio callidice Hübner
Mancipium Stephens 1827. Type species: Papilio daplidice Linnaeus [= Pontia hellice (Linnaeus)]
Baltia Moore 1878. Type species: Mesapia shawii Bates [Synonymy here is tentative, and subject to debate, but supported by recent molecular / phylogenetic studies. See Taxon Rep. Int. Lepid. Surv. 9 (3), 2021; 'Genomics-guided refinement of butterfly taxonomy', Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Paul A Opler, Nick V Grishin; E-published May 29, 2021]
Parapieris de Nicéville 1897. Type species: Papilio callidice Hübner
Leucochloe Röber 1907. Type species: Papilio daplidice Linnaeus
Pontieuchloia Verity 1929. Type species: Papilio chloridice Hübner

There appear to be at least three very distinct groups of species, which could be considered as subgenera or perhaps as distinct genera. We probably have species belonging to all three (further comment below).
The Daplidice Group (true Pontia) includes the names P. beckeri, P. chloridice, P. daplidice, P. edusa, P. glaudonome, and perhaps the African P. distorta & P. helice. Distinction of P. edusa from P. daplidice is dubious.
The Callidice Group (=Synchloe) includes P. callidice, P. occidentalis, and P. protodice, and P. santamarta. Some species limits and distributions in this group are not clear, are debated, and require further study.
The Shawii Group (=Baltia) is an Asian group, traditionally treated as if a distinct genus, which includes the names Baltia butleri, B. shawii, and likely also our own Pontia sisymbrii. However, there has been no study to date to prove the relationship of North American P. sisymbrii to the other two Asian species.

Numbers

Nearctica.com lists four North American species in this genus.

Range

Primarily Holarctic (North America and Eurasia), but with a few species in sub-Saharan Africa.

Habitat

Mostly found in open sunny, often disturbed areas where host plants in Brassicaceae, Resedaceae, and/or Cleomaceae.
Contributed by Cotinis on 28 April, 2004 - 2:54am
Additional contributions by David Ferguson
Last updated 22 May, 2025 - 12:02pm

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