Madeiran large white

The Madeiran large white (Pieris brassicae wollastoni) is a subspecies of the large white, endemic to Madeira.[1] It can reach a size of 55 to 65 millimetres. The wings are pure white with a wide black tip on the apexes of the forewings. Its natural habitat is the laurisilva laurel forest.[2] Considering that it was last collected in 1977 but not found despite a 15-year survey during the 1980s and 1990s, it might be either extremely rare or possibly extinct.[3] One reason for its decline might be a virus infection which brought out after the small white (Pieris rapae) was introduced to Madeira in the 1950s.[4] Another reason for the decline is due to the introduction of the wasp parasitoid. The wasp parasitoid was last discovered in the western Canary Islands in May 2006. It uses pieridae as a host and is commonly found where pieridae species are in abundance.[5] The scientific name commemorates Thomas Vernon Wollaston, an entomologist who has discovered several insect taxa on Madeira.

Madeiran large white
Madeiran Large White (female)

Critically endangered, possibly extinct  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Pieris
Species:
P. brassicae
Subspecies:
P. b. wollastoni
Trinomial name
Pieris brassicae wollastoni
(Butler, 1886)
Synonyms
  • Ganoris wollastoni Butler, 1886
  • Pieris wollastoni
  • Pieris cheiranthi wollastoni

References
  1. John Feltwell. Large white butterfly: The Biology, Biochemistry and Physiology of Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus). Springer, 1982 ISBN 90-6193-128-2
  2. Pieris brassicae wollastoni Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Man drives butterfly into extinction and it could be bad news for us too
  4. Gardiner, B. (2003) The possible cause of extinction of Pieris brassicae wollastoni Butler (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Entomologist's Gazette 54:267–268
  5. Lozan, Aurel I.; Monaghan, Michael T.; Spitzer, Karel; Jaroš, Josef; Žurovcová, Martina; Brož, Václav (2007-11-24). "DNA-based confirmation that the parasitic wasp Cotesia glomerata (Braconidae, Hymenoptera) is a new threat to endemic butterflies of the Canary Islands". Conservation Genetics. 9 (6): 1431–1437. doi:10.1007/s10592-007-9470-4. ISSN 1566-0621.

Further reading
  • Holt White, A.E. & Rashleigh (editors) (1894) The butterflies and moths of Teneriffe. Illustrated from the author's drawings. L. Reeve & Co., London
  • Gardiner, B. (2003) The possible cause of extinction of Pieris brassicae wollastoni Butler (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Entomologist's Gazette 54:267–268


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