Coliadinae

Coliadinae, the sulphurs or yellows, are a subfamily of butterflies with about 300 described species.

Coliadinae
Mating dainty sulphurs (Nathalis iole)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Subfamily:	Coliadinae Swainson, 1827
Tribes
Coliadini Euremini Goniopterygini and see text

Common emigrant (Catopsilia pomona) in Keesara, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India

There are 36 species in North America, where they range from Mexico to northern Canada. In most species, males are easily distinguished from females. For example, in the genera Colias and Gonepteryx), males exhibit brilliant UV reflections that the females lack.

Systematics

The Coliadinae can be arranged in the three traditional tribes and a basal lineage, with one genus of unclear placement. The taxa—including some selected species—are arranged here in the presumed phylogenetic sequence, from the most ancient lineages to the most modern ones:

Basal lineage

• Kricogonia Reakirt, 1863
• Nathalis Boisduval, [1836]

Euremini

• Terias Swainson, 1821
• Pyrisitia Butler, 1870
• Abaeis Hübner, [1819]
• Eurema Hübner, [1819] – grass yellows
• Leucidia Doubleday, [1847]
• Teriocolias Roeber 1909

Goniopterygini

• Dercas Doubleday, [1847] – sulphurs
• Gonepteryx Leach, [1815] – brimstones

Coliadini

• Catopsilia Hübner, [1819] – emigrants
• Colias Fabricius, 1807 – clouded yellows
• Zerene Hübner, [1819]
  • Zerene eurydice – California dogface butterfly
• Anteos Hübner, [1819] – angled-sulphurs
• Aphrissa Butler, 1873
• Phoebis Hübner, [1819]
  • Phoebis sennae – cloudless sulphur
  • Phoebis avellaneda – red-splashed sulphur
• Prestonia Schaus, 1920
  • Prestonia clarki Schaus, 1920
• Rhabdodryas Godman & Salvin, [1889]
  • Rhabdodryas trite (Linnaeus, 1758)

Incertae sedis

• Gandaca Moore, [1906]
  • Gandaca harina (Horsfield, [1829]) – tree yellow

References

• Brower, Andrew V.Z. (2006): Tree of Life Web Project - Coliadinae. Version of November 16, 2006. Retrieved August 7, 2008
• Lim, M.L.M. & Li, D. (2005): Extreme ultraviolet sexual dimorphism in jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 89(3): 397–406. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2006.00704.x (HTML abstract)