Diet

• Caterpillars feed on woody legumes (Fabaceae).

• Larvae feed primarily on young leaves.

• Adults take nectar from a variety of flowers.

Range

• Phoebis agarithe ranges from Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean to northern and central South America, reaching Peru and Brazil.

• Guerrero is within its range, and it occurs in the Zihua area.

Habitat

• It is primarily associated with warm, open tropical lowlands.

• Typical habitats include tropical dry forest edges, woodland clearings, pastures, gardens, parks, roadsides, trails, and other disturbed areas containing suitable leguminous trees.

• In the Zihua area, it is particularly likely around flowering vegetation and open forest margins.

Description

• A large sulphur with a wingspan of approximately 57–86 mm.

• Males are strikingly orange to tangerine above, usually with little dark marking on the upper surface.

• Females are more variable. Some are yellow-orange with darker marginal markings, while others are a pale pinkish-white form.

• The underside is yellow to orange-yellow and has a distinctive straight, brownish diagonal line across the forewing. This line is an important feature separating it from the superficially similar Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae).

• Seasonal variation occurs, with some individuals having considerably heavier brown markings on the underside.

• The wings are broad and rounded, and the overall orange colour makes the species conspicuous when it is flying through sunny tropical vegetation.