Diet

• Caterpillars feed on plants in the caper family (Capparaceae).

• Adults visit flowers for nectar and may also obtain moisture and minerals from damp ground.

Range

• Pieriballia viardi ranges from Mexico through Central America and into northern and western South America, extending as far south as Bolivia and Paraguay.

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

Habitat

• It is primarily associated with tropical and subtropical forest.

• Typical habitats include tropical dry and moist forest, forest edges, clearings and transitional woodland.

• It is also found in disturbed areas and along trails where suitable larval host plants occur.

• In the Zihua area, warm forest margins and tropical woodland provide suitable habitat.

Description

• A medium-sized white in the family Pieridae, with a wingspan of approximately 55–65 mm.

• The wings are predominantly white, with contrasting dark markings concentrated along the forewing apex and outer margins.

• The underside is more heavily marked, with greyish, brownish and yellowish patterning that provides camouflage when the butterfly rests with its wings closed.

• The forewing has a pointed apex, while the hindwing is rounded and lacks tails.

• Males and females are similar but can differ in the extent and intensity of the dark wing markings.

• Pieriballia viardi is the only species in its genus, making Pieriballia a monotypic genus.