White Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

SUBFAMILY PIERINAE

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

• Butterflies (Superfamily Papilionoidea)

• Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae)

• Whites (Subfamily Pierinae)

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Subfamily Pierinae is the largest subfamily within the family Pieridae and includes the familiar white butterflies, orange-tips, marbles, and many tropical relatives. With hundreds of species distributed worldwide, Pierinae are especially abundant in open habitats such as meadows, grasslands, agricultural areas, gardens, deserts, and forest edges. Members of this subfamily are generally medium-sized butterflies characterized by predominantly white, cream, yellow, or orange wing coloration, often marked with black spots, borders, or veins. Many species are strong, active fliers and are among the most commonly encountered butterflies in both temperate and tropical regions