Eurema daira
Encyclopedia
The Fairy Yellow, Barred Yellow or Barred Sulphur (Eurema daira) is a butterfly
of the Pieridae
family. It is found from Argentina
north to the southern United States
. Strays can be found up to southern Arizona
, South Dakota
, southern Texas
and even Washington D. C.
The wingspan
is 32–41 mm. Adults are on wing year round in the southern part of the range and in late summer and fall as vagrant.
The larvae feed on Fabaceae
species, including Stylosanthes biflora and Aeschynomene
species. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers including joint vetches and shepherd's needle.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...
family. It is found from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
north to the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Strays can be found up to southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and even Washington D. C.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 32–41 mm. Adults are on wing year round in the southern part of the range and in late summer and fall as vagrant.
The larvae feed on Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
species, including Stylosanthes biflora and Aeschynomene
Aeschynomene
Aeschynomene is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. They are known commonly as jointvetches. These legumes are most common in warm regions and many species are aquatic...
species. Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers including joint vetches and shepherd's needle.
Subspecies
- Eurema daira daira (Virginia, New York, Virginia, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida)
- Eurema daira palmira (Poey, [1852]) (West Indies, Cuba, Bahamas)
- Eurema daira eugenia (Wallengren, 1860) (Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala)
- Eurema daira sidonia (R. Felder, 1869) (Mexico)
- Eurema daira lydia (C. & R. Felder, 1861) (Venezuela, Colombia)
- Eurema daira macheti Brévignon, 1996 (French Guiana)