Nathalis iole
Encyclopedia
The Dainty Sulphur or Dwarf Yellow (Nathalis iole) is a North America
n butterfly
in the family Pieridae
.
This species is our smallest pierid. A rare population, known from Homestead (Smith et al., 1994), is said to have mostly white individuals. Some feel that the Dainty Sulphur is so unique among our pierids, in shape and in several structural features, that it should belong in a separate subfamily. Its appearance is highly variable but identification should not be a problem. The fore wings elongated shape is distinctive. The upper side of the wings is yellow with the tip of the fore wing being black. Black bars extend along the trailing edge of the fore wing and the leading edge of the hind wing. Male Dainty Sulphurs have an oval scent patch (called an androconial spot) in each hind wing bar. The androconial spot is reddish-orange but fades to pale yellow after death. The underside of the wings varies depending on the season. Summer individuals have yellowish hind wings whereas winter individuals have greenish-gray hind wings. Both forms have black spots near the fore wing margin and have a yellowish-orange patch near the base of the fore wing.
) and the Little Yellow (Eurema lisa).
The Barred Yellow is larger than the Dainty Sulphur, and the underside of the wings is either all grayish-white or brownish-red.
The Little Yellow is also larger than the Dainty Sulphur, lacks the dorsal fore wing and hind wing black bars, and on the underside of the fore wing lacks the black spots and the yellowish-orange patch.
singly on young or emerging leaves of the host plant. The eggs will hatch within 4–7 days. The larva
e are quite variable. Some larvae are dark green, while others are dark green with bright pinkish-purple stripes. The stiff haired larvae have two pinkish-red bumps just above the head. The green or yellow-green chrysalis is covered with yellow-white dots. It lacks a projection on the head which is found in most pierids. The Dainty Sulphur will migrate south to spend the winter because it is unable to survive the cold. If day length is short when it's a larva, the Dainty Sulphur produces a winter phenotype
upon forming its chrysalis which will then produce a butterfly with three times the usual number of dark scales. This allows it to absorb solar heat more easily. It has multiple broods per year.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n butterfly
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...
in the family 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...
.
Description
For a key to the terms used see Lepidopteran glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran terms
This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
This species is our smallest pierid. A rare population, known from Homestead (Smith et al., 1994), is said to have mostly white individuals. Some feel that the Dainty Sulphur is so unique among our pierids, in shape and in several structural features, that it should belong in a separate subfamily. Its appearance is highly variable but identification should not be a problem. The fore wings elongated shape is distinctive. The upper side of the wings is yellow with the tip of the fore wing being black. Black bars extend along the trailing edge of the fore wing and the leading edge of the hind wing. Male Dainty Sulphurs have an oval scent patch (called an androconial spot) in each hind wing bar. The androconial spot is reddish-orange but fades to pale yellow after death. The underside of the wings varies depending on the season. Summer individuals have yellowish hind wings whereas winter individuals have greenish-gray hind wings. Both forms have black spots near the fore wing margin and have a yellowish-orange patch near the base of the fore wing.
Similar Species
Similar species in the Dainty Sulphur's range include the Barred Yellow (Eurema dairaEurema daira
The Fairy Yellow, Barred Yellow or Barred Sulphur 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...
) and the Little Yellow (Eurema lisa).
The Barred Yellow is larger than the Dainty Sulphur, and the underside of the wings is either all grayish-white or brownish-red.
The Little Yellow is also larger than the Dainty Sulphur, lacks the dorsal fore wing and hind wing black bars, and on the underside of the fore wing lacks the black spots and the yellowish-orange patch.
Habitat
Almost any open space including coastal flats, deserts, fields, roadsides, vacant lots, and waste areas. It usually flies very low to the ground.Life cycle
Males patrol just inches above the ground in search of females. If a male finds a female and is faced with rejection, males are likely to engage in an open-winged display, showing off their dorsal bars and their androconial spots. This last-resort effort to impress the female will often make her reconsider her unwise decision.Females lay their lemon-yellow or orange-yellow eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
singly on young or emerging leaves of the host plant. The eggs will hatch within 4–7 days. The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e are quite variable. Some larvae are dark green, while others are dark green with bright pinkish-purple stripes. The stiff haired larvae have two pinkish-red bumps just above the head. The green or yellow-green chrysalis is covered with yellow-white dots. It lacks a projection on the head which is found in most pierids. The Dainty Sulphur will migrate south to spend the winter because it is unable to survive the cold. If day length is short when it's a larva, the Dainty Sulphur produces a winter phenotype
Phenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
upon forming its chrysalis which will then produce a butterfly with three times the usual number of dark scales. This allows it to absorb solar heat more easily. It has multiple broods per year.
Host Plants
Here are a list of host plants used by the Dainty Sulphur:- Spanish Needles, (Bidens bipinnata)
- Beggar Ticks, (BidensBidensBidens is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It contains about 200 species. The common names beggarticks, black jack, bur-marigolds, stickseeds, tickseeds and tickseed sunflowers refer to the achene burrs on the seeds of this genus, most of which are barbed...
ssp.) - Dogweed, (DyssodiaDyssodiaDyssodia Cav. is a small genus of flowering plants in the daisy family. Most dyssodias are now treated as members of other related genera, including Thymophylla or Adenophyllum, with Dyssodia as genus synonym...
ssp.) - Common Chickweed, (Stellaria media)
- Greentread, (ThelespermaThelespermaThelesperma is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae. Members of the genus are used by a number of the southwestern Native American tribes as a tea, as such it is sometimes called "Navajo Tea," "Hopi Tea," etc. T. megapotamicum contains luteolin...
ssp.)