Leptidea reali
| Réal's wood white | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Leptidea |
| Species: | L. reali
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| Binomial name | |
| Leptidea reali Reissinger 1989[1]
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Leptidea reali, the Réal's wood white, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae.
Taxonomy
[edit]A 2011 study using karyotype analysis and analysis of mitochondrial nuclear DNA markers concluded that Leptidea reali is one of three members of a cryptic species complex which also includes Leptidea sinapis and a new species Leptidea juvernica.[2]
Distribution
[edit]Leptidea reali is known to occur in Spain, Italy and southern France.[2] L. reali was formerly thought to occur in Ireland[3] but this population is now known to be L. juvernica.[4] Since the three species look and behave similarly, further research is needed to discover their true distribution; indeed on the continent the current known distribution of L. reali is suspiciously patchy.[citation needed] L. reali can be separated from L. sinapis by analysis of the male genital morphology, but it cannot be reliably separated this way from L. juvernica.[2]
Field lepidopterists have reported behavioural differences between L. reali and L. sinapis with Réal's being described as a stronger flier and with a preference for more open habitats.[5][obsolete source]
Life cycle and food plants
[edit]The life cycle, flight period and food plants appear at present to be similar to the wood white.
References
[edit]- ^ Reissinger (E.), 1989. Checkliste Pieride Duponchel, 1835 der Westpalaearctis, Atalanta, 20, pp. 149-185
- ^ a b c Dincă, Vlad; Lukhtanov, Vladimir A.; Talavera, Gerard; Vila, Roger (30 April 2011). "Unexpected layers of cryptic diversity in wood white Leptidea butterflies". Nature Communications. 2 324. Bibcode:2011NatCo...2..324D. doi:10.1038/NCOMMS1329. PMID 21610727.
- ^ "Réal's Wood White". National Museums Northern Ireland. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ^ Nelson, B., Hughes, M. (2011). "The distribution of Leptidea sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758) and L. reali Reissinger, 1989 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) in Ireland". Entomologist's Gazette. 62: 213–233.
- ^ Barkham, Patrick (2010). The Butterfly Isles. London: Granta. ISBN 978-1-84708-127-8.
- David Tomlinson & Rob Sill Britain's Butterflies Wild Guides
- Nelson, B., Hughes M., Nash, R. and Warren, M.S., 2001 Leptidea reali Reissinger 1989 a butterfly species new to Britain and Ireland. Entomologist's Record and Journal of Variation 113: 97-101.
- Nash, R., Hughes, M., Nelson, B., and Warren, M., 2001 Real's Wood White Leptidea reali Reissinger, 1989 A Butterfly new to Britain and Ireland Atropos 14: 12-15.
External links
[edit]
- Butterfly Conservation Ireland Summary of the sinapis cryptic species complex.
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