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Key to the German species of Pieridae: Imagines Whites Weißlinge |
| Key for
imagines: (Note 1: use only to identify German species; key may not be valid for other countries) (Note 2: key accounts for normal individual variation, but should not be used to identify strong aberrations or damaged specimens) 1a Forewing apex and hindwing at vein Cu1 drawn out into pointed edges..........Gonepteryx rhamni 1b Forewing and hindwing without pointed edges..........2 2a Hindwing under side with one or two round, white, pale yellow or silverish discoidal marks that have a conspicuous dark margin. Fringes of all wings red, rose, orange or yellow, especially on under side..........3 2b Hindwing under side without round discoidal marks..........8 3a Forewing under side with white discoidal mark with fine black border..........Colias palaeno 3b Forewing under side with solid black or black discoidal mark with small white center..........4 4a Wing background color on upper side light yellow, white, or greenish..........6 4b Wing background color on upper side rich dark yellow or orange..........5 5a Postdiscal spots on under side of fore and hindwings well developed..........Colias croceus 5b Postdiscal spots on under side of fore and hindwings much reduced, missing sometimes..........Colias myrmidone 6a Basal and discal area of hindwings on upper side heavily suffused with black scales, this area of the wing therefore appears very much darker than the postdiscal area..........Colias phicomone 6b Basal and discal area of hindwings on upper side with only few black scales or with a streak of black scales originating from the wing root..........7 7a Outer margin of hindwings rounded along the entire outer egde. Orange discoidal spot on upper side of the hindwings always conspicuous and of rich color..........Colias alfacariensis 7b Outer margin of hindwings less rounded and almost straight towards the anal angle. Orange discoidal spot on upper side of the hindwings at least in most males inconspicuous and pale..........Colias hyale 8a Hindwings on under side with checkerboard pattern of white/yellowish and green-black elements..........9 8b Hindwings on under side without a conspicuous pattern, or under side with green-black scales along the veins..........10 9a Hindwings on under side: the cell is filled with green-black scales with a round yellow-white spot in the middle of the cell..........Pontia edusa and Pontia daplidice 9b Hindwings on under side: the cell is filled with green-black scales with a squeezed elliptical yellow-white spot in the middle of the cell..........Pontia callidice 9c Hindwings on under side: the cell is filled with green-black scales with a deeply jagged, irregular white shape in the middle of the cell..........Anthocharis cardamines 10a Cell of fore and hindwing short, clearly less than half the length of the wing. Both wings slim..........11 10b Cell of fore and hindwing long, at least half as long as the length of the wing. Both wings broad..........12 11a Dark patterns on the wings blackish..........Leptidea juvernica 11b Dark patterns on the wings grayish..........Leptidea sinapis 12a Veins conspicuously black against the white wing surfaces. Background color of hindwings on the under side white.......... Aporia crataegi 12b Veins light (not black, but sometimes with dark scales along the veins). Background color of hindwings on the underside yellow or pale yellow..........13 13a Background color of hindwings on the underside pale yellow, black scales more or less evenly distributed across the surface..........14 13b Background color of hindwings on the underside pale yellow, black scales mainly along the veins..........Pieris napi and Pieris bryoniae 14a Black color at apex on upper side of forewing not very extensive, extends along outer edge down to vein R5 or M1..........Pieris rapae 14b Black color at apex on upper side of forewing extends along outer edge down to vein Cu1 or Cu2..........15 15a Large, forewing length 28 to 33 mm..........Pieris brassicae 15b Smaller, forewing length 20 to 26 mm..........Pieris mannii |
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