Colias

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Cladus: Obtectomera
Superfamilia: Papilionoidea

Familia:Pieridae
Subfamilia: Coliadinae
Genus: Colias
Species: C. adelaidae – C. aegidii – C. aias – C. alexandra – C. alfacariensis – C. alpherakii – C. alta – C. amanonis – C. arida – C. aurorina – C. balcanica – C. baryshevi – C. behrii – C. berylla – C. canadensis – C. caucasica – C. chlorocoma – C. christina – C. christophi – C. chrysotheme – C. cocandica – C. croceus – C. dimera – C. diva – C. dubia – C. edwardsii – C. electo – C. eogene – C. erate – C. erschoffii – C. eurydice – C. eurytheme – C. euxanthe – C. felderi – C. fieldii – C. flaveola – C. gigantea – C. grieshuberi – C. grumi – C. harfordii – C. hecla – C. heos – C. hofmannorum – C. hyale – C. hyperborea – C. interior – C. iononovi – C. johanseni – C. jomooseri – C. kurmaevi – C. lada – C. ladakensis – C. leechi – C. lesbia – C. marcopolo – C. marnoana – C. meadii – C. minisni – C. misti – C. montium – C. mossi – C. mukana – C. muratai – C. myrmidone – C. nastes – C. nebulosa – C. nilagiriensis – C. nina – C. occidentalis – C. palaeno – C. pelidne – C. phicomone – C. philodice – C. poliographus – C. ponteni – C. pseudochristina – C. rankinensis – C. regia – C. romanovi – C. sagartia – C. scudderii – C. shahfuladi – C. sieversi – C. sifanica – C. staudingeri – C. stoliczkana – C. tamerlana – C. thisoa – C. thrasibulus – C. tibetana – C. tyche – C. vauthierii – C. wanda – C. weberbaueri – C. wernerbacki – C. wiskotti
Name

Colias Fabricius, 1807
Synonyms

Coliastes Hemming, 1931
Eriocolias Watson, 1895
Eucolias Berger, 1986
Eurymus Horsfield, [1829]
Ganura Zetterstedt, [1839]
Mesocolias Petersen, 1963
Neocolias Berger, 1986
Palaeocolias Berger, 1986
Paracolias Berger, 1986
Protocolias Petersen, 1963
Scalidoneura Butler, 1871
Similicolias Berger, 1986

References

Chou, I., Zhang, Y.L. & Wang, Y.L., 2001: new species new subspecies and new record of Butterflies (Lepidoptera) from China, III. Entomotaxonomia, 23(1): 39–46. Full article (PDF). Reference page.
Churkin, S.V., Pletnev, V.A. 2015. Two new subspecies of the butterflies from Kyrgyzstan (Lepidoptera: Pieridae et Papilionidae). Entomologische Zeitschrift, 125(1): 11–17. Reference page.
Eckweiler, W., 2000: Eine neue Colias–Art aus dem östlichen Iran (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo, NF 21 (1): 45–48. Full article: [1].
Eckweiler, W., 2003: Eine neue Unterart von Colias chlorocoma Christoph, 1888 aus dem iranischen Talesh (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo, NF 24 (3): 147–152.
Ferris, C.D., 1972: Notes on certain species of Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) found in Wyoming and associated regions. Bull. Allyn Museum 5: 1–23. Full article: [2]
Gorbunov, O.G., 2012: On the nomenclature of Colias nastes mongola Alphéraky, 1897 and Colias tamerlana Staudinger, 1897 (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). Entomological Review 92 (5): 559–564. Abstract: DOI: 10.1134/S0013873812050089
Grieshuber, J. & Lamas, G., 2007: A Synonymic List of the Genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Mitteilungen der Münchner Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 097: 131- 171. Full article: [3].
Huang, R.-X. & Murayama, S.-i. 1992. Butterflies of Xinjiang Province, China. Tyô to Ga 43(1): 1–22. Full article (PDF). Reference page.
Huang, H. & Song, K. 2022. A review of the genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Qinghai with descriptions of a new subspecies of Colias thrasibulus Fruhstorfer, 1910. Zootaxa 5105(4): 451–489. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5105.4.1. Paywall. Reference page.
Kir'yanov, A.V. 2019. Species status of Colias misti (Pieridae: Coliadinae) from the Arequipa region, South Peru, and a description of its new subspecies, from Cotahuasi canyon, South-Central Peru. Zootaxa 4706(3): 408–426. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4706.3.2. Reference page.
Kir'yanov, A.V. 2020. A new subspecies of Colias hyale (L., 1758) from Lake Sevan, Armenia (Lepidoptera, Pieridae, Coliadinae). Lambillionea 120(1): 31-40. Reference page.
Kir'yanov, A.V. 2021, A new species of Colías Fabricius, 1807 from eastern Sudan (Lepidoptera, Pieridae, Coliadinae). Entomologia Africana 26(l): 19-28. Reference page.
Korb, S. 2012: New data about two little known species of the genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from North Tian-Shan. Lepidological journal 1(1): 6–8. Reference page.
Korb, S.K. & Bolshakov, L.V. 2011. A catalogue of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoformes) of the former USSR. Second edition, reformatted and updated. Eversmannia, Supplement 2. Abstract. Reference page.
Korb, S.K. & Yakovlev, R.V. 1998: Two new subspecies from palaearctic region. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae, Lycaenidae). Lambillionea 98(1): 140–141. Reference page.
Laiho, J. & Stahls, G., 2013: DNA barcodes identify Central-Asian Colias butterflies (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). Zookeys, '365: 175–196. Abstract and full article: DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.365.5879.
Lamas, G., 2004, Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera; Checklist: 4A; Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea
Lukhtanov, V.A., 1999: Neue taxa und synonyma zentralasiatischer tagfalter (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea). Atalanta 30 (1/4): 135–150.
Miller, M.A., 2009: Colias jomooseri spec. nov. und Colias wernerbacki sp. nov., zwei neue Gelblingsarten vom Himalaya-Gebirge, Bhutan (Lepidoptera:Peiridae). Atalanta 40 (3-4): 479–486.
Troubridge, J.T. & Philip, K.W. 1988: A new species of Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) from Arctic Canada. The Canadian Entomologist 122(1): 15-20. Reference page.
Verhulst, J. 1990: Description d'une nouvelle espèce de Chine (Lepidoptera Pieridae). Lambillionea 90(4): 40-45. Reference page.
Verhulst, J. 1991: Description d'une nouvelle espèce de Colias de Chine (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). Lambillionea 91(2): 113-126. Reference page.
Verhulst, J. 2009: Une nouvelle espèce et une nouvelle sous-espèce du genre Colias Fabricius, 1807 du Nord du Canada, territoire du Nunavut (Lepidoptera: Pieridae: Coliadinae). Lambillionea, 109: 421–426. ISSN: 0774-2819
Wyatt, C.W. & Omoto, K. 1966: New lepidoptera from Afghanistan. Entomops 1(5): 138-167. Reference page.

Vernacular names
беларуская: Жаўтушкі
日本語: モンキチョウ属
中文: 豆粉蝶屬

Colias is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are often called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus Zerene,[4] which is sometimes included in Colias.
Wing venation

This genus occurs throughout the Holarctic, including the arctic regions. They are also found in South America, Africa, China and India. Their caterpillars feed on certain Fabaceae, for example vetches (Vicia). While most are thus beneficial by keeping weeds at bay, some occasionally become nuisance pests on crops like alfalfa. In some species, the wings of males have brilliant ultraviolet reflection, while those of females do not.[5][6] Adults of both sexes have various colour forms.

Most if not all species of this genus, as usual for Coliadinae, do not sequester toxins or other noxious compounds from their food plants. They are therefore a well-loved prey item of insectivores as compared to Pieris of the related Pierinae. They make up this disadvantage by being more nimble and better able to evade attacks by would-be predators.[7]

Notable lepidopterologists who did many studies on this genus included Julius Röber, J. Malcolm Fawcett, George B. Johnson and Henry Rowland-Brown.

Systematics

Hybridization runs rampant in these polytypic and clinal[8] butterflies, confounding molecular phylogenetics studies. In general, cladistic analyses of only one type of data (particularly mtDNA sequences) cannot be considered reliable. Regardless, the evolutionary distance within some "species" is so large that cryptic speciation rather than (or in addition to) interbreeding seems to be the cause. For example, the Beringian populations traditionally assigned to the northern clouded yellow (C. hecla) could warrant recognition as a species; hybridization between North American and Asian populations seems to have played a role in their evolution, but as a whole they appear to be a rather old and distinct lineage.[9]
Mountain clouded yellow (C. phicomone)
Species

Listed alphabetically:[10]

Colias adelaidae Verhulst, 1991
Colias aegidii Verhulst, 1990
Colias alfacariensis Ribbe, 1905 – Berger's clouded yellow
Colias alexandra W. H. Edwards, 1863 – Queen Alexandra's sulphur, Alexandra sulfur, or ultraviolet sulfur
Colias alpherakii Staudinger, 1882
Colias aquilonaris Grum-Grshimailo, 1899
Colias arida Alphéraky, 1889
Colias audre (Hemming, 1933)
Colias aurorina Herrich-Schäffer, 1850 – Greek clouded butterfly or dawn clouded yellow
Colias baeckeri Kotzsch, 1930
Colias behrii W. H. Edwards, 1866 – Behr's sulphur or Sierra green sulfur
Colias berylla Fawcett, 1904 – Everest clouded yellow
Colias canadensis Ferris, 1982 – Canada sulphur
Colias caucasica Staudinger, 1871 – Balkan clouded yellow
Colias chippewa W. H. Edwards, 1872 – heath sulphur
Colias chlorocoma Christoph, 1888
Colias christina W. H. Edwards, 1863 – Christina sulphur
Colias christophi Grum-Grshimailo, 1885
Colias chrysotheme (Esper, 1781) – lesser clouded yellow
Colias cocandica Erschoff, 1874
Colias croceus (Geoffroy, 1785) – dark clouded yellow or common clouded yellow
Colias dimera Doubleday, 1847 – dimera sulphur
Colias diva Grum-Grshimailo, 1891
Colias dubia Fawcett, 1906 – dwarf clouded yellow
Colias electo (Linnaeus, 1763) – African clouded yellow
Colias elegans Schultz, 1904
Colias elis Strecker, 1885 (often included in C. meadii; paraphyletic?)
Colias eogene C. & R. Felder, 1865 – fiery clouded yellow
Colias erate (Esper, 1805) – eastern pale clouded yellow
Colias erschoffi Alphéraky, 1881
Colias eurytheme Boisduval, 1852 – orange sulphur, alfalfa butterfly
Colias euxanthe C. & R. Felder, 1865 – Puno clouded yellow
Colias felderi Grum-Grshimailo, 1891
Colias fieldii Ménétriés, 1855

Danube clouded yellow (C. myrmidone)
Left = upperside pattern
Right = underside pattern

Colias flaveola Blanchard, 1852 – flaveola clouded yellow
Colias gigantea Strecker, 1900 – great (northern) sulphur
Colias grumi Alpheraky, 1897
Colias harfordii W. H. Edwards, 1877 – Harford's sulphur
Colias hecla Lefèbvre, 1836 – northern clouded yellow, Greenland sulphur, or hecla sulphur (paraphyletic?)
Colias heos (Herbst, 1792)
Colias hofmannorum Eckweiler, 2000
Colias hyale (Linnaeus, 1758) – pale clouded yellow
Colias hyperborea Grum-Grshimailo, 1899
Colias interior Scudder, 1862 – pink-edged sulphur
Colias johanseni Troubridge & Philip, 1990 – Johansen's sulphur
Colias krauthii Klots, 1935
Colias lada Grum-Grshimailo, 1891
Colias ladakensis Felder & Felder, 1865 – Ladakh clouded yellow
Colias leechi Grum-Grshimailio, 1893
Colias lesbia (Fabricius, 1775) – Lesbia clouded yellow
Colias libanotica Lederer, 1858 (sometimes included in C. aurorina)
Colias marcopolo Grum-Grshimailo, 1888
Colias marnoana Rogenhofer, 1884
Colias meadii W. H. Edwards, 1871 – Mead's sulphur
Colias montium Oberthür, 1886
Colias mukana Berger, 1981
Colias myrmidone (Esper, 1781) – Danube clouded yellow
Colias nastes Boisduval, 1834 – Labrador sulphur
Colias nebulosa Oberthür, 1894
Colias nilagiriensis Felder, C & R Felder, 1859
Colias nina Fawcett, 1904 – Fawcett's clouded yellow
Colias occidentalis Scudder, 1862 – western sulphur or golden sulfur
Colias palaeno (Linnaeus, 1761) – moorland clouded yellow, Arctic sulphur, palaeno sulphur or pale Arctic clouded yellow
Colias pelidne Boisduval & Le Conte, 1829 – blueberry sulphur or pelidne sulphur
Colias phicomone (Esper, 1780) – mountain clouded yellow
Colias philodice Godart, 1819 – common sulphur, clouded sulphur
Colias ponteni Wallengren, 1860
Colias pseudochristina Ferris, 1989
Colias regia Grum-Grshimailo, 1887
Colias romanovi Grum-Grshimailo, 1885
Colias sagartia Lederer, 1869
Colias scudderii Reakirt, 1865 – willow sulphur
Colias shahfuladi Clench & Shoumatoff, 1956
Colias sieversi Grum-Grshimailo, 1887
Colias sifanica Grum-Grshimailo, 1891
Colias staudingeri Alphéraky, 1881
Colias stoliczkana Moore, 1882 – orange clouded yellow
Colias tamerlana Staudinger, 1897
Colias thisoa Ménétriés, 1832
Colias thrasibulus Fruhstorfer, 1908 – lemon clouded yellow
Colias thula Hovanitz, 1955 – Thula sulphur
Colias tibetana Riley, 1922
Colias tyche (Böber, 1812) – pale Arctic clouded yellow, Arctic green sulphur, or Booth's sulphur
Colias viluiensis (Ménétriés, 1859)
Colias wanda Grum-Grshimaïlo, 1907
Colias wiskotti Staudinger, 1882

Distinguishing characteristics

Colias are usually some shade of yellow, orange or white. Their uppersides feature black borders (usually solid in males, often with pale spots in females). They always perch with wings closed, but upperside pattern may be seen faintly through the wing, or glimpsed in flight.[11]

References

Josef Grieshuber & Gerardo Lamas (2007). "A synonymic list of the genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)" (PDF). Mitteilungen der Münchner Entomologischen Gesellschaft. 97: 131–171. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
Bjorn Petersen, 1963. The male genitalia of some Colias species.Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 1: 135-156.[1] Archived 2017-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
Lucien A Berger, 1986 Systématique du genre Colias F: Lepidoptera-Pieridae Bruxelles: Imprimerie des Sciences, 1986.
Andrew V. Z. Brower (November 16, 2006). "Coliadinae". Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
M. L. Lim & D. Li (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.
Andrew V. Z. Brower (November 16, 2006). "Colias". Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
Robert B. Srygley & Joel G. Kingsolver (1998). "Red-wing blackbird reproductive behaviour and the palatability, flight performance, and morphology of temperate pierid butterflies (Colias, Pieris, and Pontia)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 64 (1): 41–55. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1998.tb01532.x.
Paul C. Hammond, 1990 Patterns of geographic variation and evolution in polytypic butterflies Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 29(1-2):54-76. [2] Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
Christopher W. Wheat & Ward B. Watt (2008). "A mitochondrial-DNA-based phylogeny for some evolutionary-genetic model species of Colias butterflies (Lepidoptera, Pieridae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 47 (3): 893–902. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.03.013. PMID 18442929.
Markku Savela. "Colias Fabricius, 1807". Lepidoptera and some other life forms.

Brock, J.P. & Kaufman, K. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, 2003, p. 60.