Leptidea juvernica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cryptic wood white | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Leptidea |
| Species: | L. juvernica |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptidea juvernica Williams 1946[1] | |
Leptidea juvernica, the Cryptic wood white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae.
A 2011 study using karyotype analysis and analysis of mitochondrial nuclear DNA markers concluded that the complex of cryptic species that includes Leptidea sinapis and Leptidea reali also included a third, new species Leptidea juvernica.[1]
Distribution
L. juvernica ranges from Ireland and France in the west to Kazakhstan in the east.[1] The population in Ireland was formerly thought to be Leptidea reali,[2] but is now known to be L. juvernica.[3]
Appearance
It has been noted that specimens of L. juvernica from Ireland, originally thought to be L. sinapis, had a noticeably stronger green tinge.[4]
