Pieris wollastoni (Madeiran Large White)

[Bowhead Whale]

We have lots of "Pieris" butterflies, here in Quebec. It's not the first time that I notice strong similarities between European fauna and North American fauna. They are very much alike.

[Sebbe]

The Madeiran Large White is an extremely local species, restricted to the island of Madeira. In the 1970s, it was considered rare. There are some reports from the 1980s, in which lepidopterists reported it to be widely distributed, but searches for this species in the early 1990s were unsuccessful. As the species has not been seen on this relatively small island for at least 20 years, it is believed to probably be extinct.

www.iucnredlist.org/details/39483/0

[Melanie]

The Large
White Pieris wollastoni, closely related to P. brassicae and
endemic to the Madeira Archipelago (Macaronesia) is now
probably extinct. A possible explanation for extinction of
this species is the introduction of unknown bioagents such
as disease (Gardiner 2003; Aguiar and Karsholt 2006);
however, the introduction of an alien parasitoid should not
be excluded.

Source: Lozan et al. (2008): DNA-based confirmation that the parasitic wasp Cotesia glomerata (Braconidae, Hymenoptera) is a new threat to endemic butterflies of the Canary Islands In: Conserv Genet (2008) 9:1431–1437
DOI 10.1007/s10592-007-9470-4

Available from here

www.researchgate.net/publication/225417470_DNA-based_confirmation_that_the_parasitic_wasp_Cotesia_glomerata%28Braconidae_Hymenoptera%29_is_a_new_threat_to_endemic_butterflies_of_the_Canary_Islands

[Sebbe]

These specimens are on display at Museu de Historia Natural do Funchal on Madeira.


print screen windows

[koeiyabe]

“Extinct & Endangered: Insects in Peril” by AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (2022)