Leptophobia aripa

Leptophobia aripa
Common green-eyed white from Brazil
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Leptophobia
Species:	L. aripa
Binomial name
Leptophobia aripa (Boisduval, 1836)[1]
Synonyms
Pieris aripa Boisduval, 1836 Daptonura limbata Kirby, 1887 Leptophobia aripa elodia f. deserta Fruhstorfer, 1908 Pieris elodia Boisduval, 1836 Pieris pylotis f. impunctata Breyer, 1939

Leptophobia aripa, the common green-eyed white or mountain white,[2] is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is native to Mexico, Central America and South America, but strays may be found as far north as southern Texas.[3]. Leptophobia aria is very selective of the host they choose to lay their eggs in. [1] It is a multivoltine species with overlapping generations.[4] Adults feed on flower nectar of various species, including Emilia sonchifolia, Lantana camara and Bidens pilosa.[5]

The larvae feed on Brassicaceae species, including Brassica oleracea.[4] Other records include Nasturtium officinale, Tovaria pendula and Tropaeolum moritzianum.[5]

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:[1]

• Leptophobia aripa aripa (Venezuela, Ecuador)
• Leptophobia aripa balidia (Boisduval, 1836) (Brazil)
• Leptophobia aripa elodia (Boisduval, 1836) (Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador)
• Leptophobia aripa elodina (Röber, 1908) (Bolivia, Argentina)

References

1. Leptophobia, Site of Markku Savela
2. Butterflies and Moths of North America
3. Leptophobia aripa, Bug Guide
4. Host Selection Behavior of Leptophobia aripa (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)
5. Species of Costa Rica Archived 2012-03-31 at the Wayback Machine