Pieris rapae Linnaeus
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
The cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae), also known as the cabbage butterfly and the imported cabbageworm, is so named because the larval stage feeds on members of the cabbage family (Cruciferae). This species is found around the world in temperate climates. It was introduced to North America in the 1860's and has since spread throughout the continent. The cabbage white butterfly is known to pollinate several species in the United States.
The cabbage white butterfly has a black body with white wings. The upper wings have a black band at the tip and a black spot in the center of each upper wing. Males have one spot on each wing and females have two. The underneath of the wings are yellowish-green. These butterflies have a wingspan of 30 to 50 mm. Caterpillars are green or bluish-green with a light yellow stripe.
Resident throughout North America with migrants north (Scott 1986). Habitats are TOWNS, SOME VALLEY BOTTOMS. Host plants are usually herbaceous including species from many families, including CRUCIFERAE. Eggs are laid on the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as pupae. There is a variable number of flights based on latitude each year with the approximate flight time JUN1-JUL1 in the northern part of the range and APR15-OCT15 in the southern part of their range (Scott 1986).
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| Rights holder/Author | Leslie Ries, North American Butterfly Knowledge Network |
| Source | No source database. |
Always associated with cultivation.
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| Rights holder/Author | Bibliotheca Alexandrina, BA Cultnat, Bibliotheca Alexandrina - EOL Ar |
| Source | http://lifedesk.bibalex.org/ba/pages/582 |
Reflectance causes white color: cabbage butterfly
The wings of the cabbage butterfly are white due to longitudinal ridges and cross-ribs studded with ovoid beads.
"The small white, P. [Pieris] rapae, offers an interesting example of the biology of wing coloration. Both sexes of this butterfly species are rather featureless for human eyes, except for slight differences in the black spots, small wing areas where the wing scales contain melanin. The white color is caused by strongly scattering structures in the wing scales (Stavenga et al., 2004). The reflectance is only high above 450 nm, but it is minor below 400 nm, because the scales of male P. rapae crucivora contain a substantial amount of UV-absorbing pteridins." (Stavenga and Arikawa 2006:314)
"Fig. 7. Coloration of pierid butterflies...(b) The wing scales are marked by longitudinal ridges and cross-ribs. (c) The cross-ribs are studded with ovoid beads...(d) The wing scales strongly scatter, but due to pteridin pigment, which strongly absorbs in the UV, the reflectance is low in the UV." (Stavenga and Arikawa 2006:315)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Stavenga, D.G.; Arikawa, K. 2006. Evolution of color and vision of butterflies. Review. Arthropod Structure & Development. 35: 307-318.
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| Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
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http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/imported_cabbageworm.htm
Founded in 1996 by Thomas Fasulo, Featured Creatures provides in-depth profiles of insects, nematodes, arachnids and other organisms.
The Featured Creatures site is a cooperative venture of the University of Florida's Entomology and Nematology Department and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Division of Plant Industry.
Visit Featured Creatures at http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/
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| Rights holder/Author | Featured Creatures |
| Source | http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/imported_cabbageworm.htm |
This widespread and familiar white butterfly is one of the most common butterflies in Europe (5). As the name suggests, adults have whitish upper wings. The forewings have black tips and the undersides of the wings are bright yellow, featuring blackish scales. Males and females are easy to distinguish, as females have two prominent black spots and a blackish streak on the forewing (2). The caterpillar has a green body with black spots and fine hairs. A thin yellowish line extends along the centre of the back and the spiracles are bordered with yellow (3).
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| Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
| Source | http://www.arkive.org/small-white/pieris-rapae/ |
Found in a range of habitats, where the food plants (such as cabbage, nasturtium and related plants) occur (3). Typical habitats include fields, gardens, and waste land, although they are often found in smaller numbers in woodland edges, hedgerows and other sheltered places (4).
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| Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
| Source | http://www.arkive.org/small-white/pieris-rapae/ |
The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.
There are 115 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.
Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.
See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
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Comments: Palaearctic species complex member.
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| Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
| Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Pieris+rapae |
Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
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| Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
| Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Pieris+rapae |