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Pieris rapae / Small White
Flutura e vogël e lakrës
Pieridae - Pierinae
Pieris rapae (Linnaeus, 1758). TL: Sweden.
 
 
 
1a. Pieris rapae, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Pieris rapae copula. Belgium (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Pieris rapae ♀ upperside. Belgium (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Pieris rapae ♂ lateral. France (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Pieris rapae caterpillar. Albania (© Marko Prendi)
1f. Pieris rapae, mud puddling. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Medium size butterfly. Fw: 23-27 mm.
Ups: white gc.
Upf: grey markings (spring generation), grey-black markings (later generations), generally spot in s3, apical border along outer margin only tol v7 or v6.
Uph: small costal spot in s6.
Unf: two two spots in s1b and s3, apex pale yellow.
Unh: yellow gc (spring generation), variable grey basal suffusion, paler gc and reduced grey basal suffusion (later generations)
♀♀
Similar size to slightly larger.
Upf: two black spots, additional oblique marking in s1b,apical spotdarker and more pronounced.
Similar species
Life cycle
Adults: continuous generations from March to October.
Egg: 3-7 days.
Caterpillar: 11-22 days.
Pupa: short stage (7-13 days) except when overwintering attached on a wall, stone or trunk.
Habitat
Pieris rapae inhabits a large variety of places with flowering plants from gardens, agricultural areas, sea shores, river valleys from lowland up to 2000 m a.s.l. or higher.
Spatial requirement considerable, population density often high, nomadic, sometimes migrating.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on mature leaves and buds of Alliaria petiolata, Arabis glabra, A. hirsuta, Barbarea vulgaris, Brassica napus, B. nigra, B. oleracea, B. rapa, Cakile maritima, Cardamine hirsuta, C. pratensis, Crambe maritima, Diplotaxis muralis, D. tenuifolia, Rorippa amphibia, R. sylvestris, Raphanus raphanistrum, Sinapis arvens, S. alba, Sisymbrium officinale, Reseda alba, R. lutea, R. luteola and Tropaeolum majus.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers, in dry conditions often mud-puddling.
Distribution
Albania: widespread.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.
Conservation status
Pieris rapae is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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distinctly larger.
apical border reaching v3 or lower.
extensive black border, pointed apex.
no spot in s3.
two strong, intense black spots.
powdered with dark scales.
square apical border.
grey apical patch.
no black spot in s3.
concave or flat outer margin of spot in s3.
small black lines on veins to the margin.
triangular black apical spot.
black spot in s3.
strongly black dusted internal margin.
strongly grey dusted internal margin.