Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides)

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2023 photographs highlighted in green. Click on any photograph to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.

31869_male_Var_24Apr13 24400_male_Var_25Apr11 34494_male_Var_19Apr14 40371_male_Var_5May16
40283_female_Var_24Apr16 28768_female_Var_21Apr12 0475_female_Var_9May06 10118_female_Var_1May08
36864_female_Var_15Apr15 45888_female_Var_20Apr19 14824_male_Var_01May09 31829_male_Var_23Apr13
     
9769_pair_Var_13Apr08      

Superficially similar in markings to the Orange-tip (A. cardamines), but the male has a delicious pale yellow upperside with orange tips with darker inside edging. The female is white with slight orange colouration across the upf black apical area, although on 0475  and 40283 the orange extends well beyond the apex (more so than on any other female I have seen) to the extent that it almost needs a close look to ascertain that it is not a male cardamines.

It is essentially an Iberian species which also occurs in the eastern Pyrénées and southern France and is single brooded, appearing in May and disappearing by June. It is widespread and often encountered but not particularly common in any given location, but the male can hardly be missed or confused with anything else, and so it tends to get noticed.

It used to be considered to be a subspecies of the Morocco Orange-tip (A. belia) but is now considered  to be a separate species, with belia now relating to the north African race.

ref

sex

observations

alt. m

31869

M

a male, nectaring on, I believe, the larval hostplant Buckler Mustard (Biscutella laevigata), as is often the case with this species. The thin stem of this plant means that it is often swaying, making photography very difficult.

220

24400

M

a fresh male, accurately reflecting the creamy yellow ground colour.

450

34494 M a male, nectaring on Buckler Mustard. 20
40371 M a male, with rather dusky black markings in the apical region. 140
40283 F a female, with extensive orange in the apical area. There is some slight damage to the hindwing on the left side. 185

28768

F

a female, with a rather dark, russet-coloured, apical mark. The pureness of the white stands out in this fresh specimen.

185

0475

F

a female upperside, with an exceptional amount of orange in the apical area, reaching almost to the discoidal spot.

185

10118

F

a female, with a lesser amount of apical orange, but probably more typical. The body shape is, I suspect, due to a courtship activity, as the male was just out of shot.

185

36864 F a female nectaring on Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), a common and much favoured nectar source in Var. 220
45888 F a female with rather darker apical markings, especially on the inner edge. 220

14824

M

a male underside, with the unf showing and revealing the orange colouring of the apical area.

220

31829

M

a male underside, roosting in overcast conditions.

450

9769

PAIR

a mating pair. I would guess that the male is on the left, based on the relative size, and some subtleties in the markings.

450

 

31869_male_Var_24Apr13

 

24400_male_Var_25Apr11

 

34494_male_Var_19Apr14

 

40371_male_Var_5May16

 

40283_female_Var_24Apr16

 

28768_female_Var_21Apr12

 

0475_female_Var_9May06

 

10118_female_Var_1May08

 

36864_female_Var_15Apr15

 

45888_female_Var_20Apr19

 

14824_male_Var_01May09

 

31829_male_Var_23Apr13

 

9769_pair_Var_13Apr08