Filming VarWild: A. euphenoides

The Provence Orange tip (Anthocharis euphenoides Staudinger, 1869)

The Provence Orange tip, belongs to the family of Pieridae, is present in South-West Europe (Portugal, Spain, South of France and center of Italy). This butterfly has a very marked sexual dimorphism: the male is yellow with a red-orange apex on its forewings with a thin black band, while the female is white with an orange apex and a black dot. The under-side of the male’s hindwings is slightly marbled-green. The single generation flies between late March and early June. This species overwinters as a pupa. Eggs are laid singly on the host plant (Biscutella laevigata).

Parasitoides

Braconidae : Microplitis retentus parasitizes Anthocharis euphenoides

The parasitoid wasp Microplitis retentus (Papp, 1984) parasitizes the young caterpillars of butterflies belonging to the tribe Anthocharini of the family Pieridae.

This wasp of 5 mm parasitized a young caterpillars of the Provence Orange tip (Anthocharis euphenoides Staudinger, 1869). Using its ovipositor, it inject a single egg in its victim. The parasitoid larva develops inside its host (endoparasitoid) where it lives off the haemolymph, without preventing the host's growth. When the caterpillar becomes about 15 mm it climbs high up on the food-plant, and after some time the larva erupts between the 2nd and 3rd abdominal prolegs, and then it immediately spins a cocoon next to the caterpillar, which remains alive for a few days.

Identified by Dr. Mark R. Shaw

In the rearing shown here, the wasp emerged from its cocoon quite rapidly, and there is then a further generation, overwintering in the cocoon. However, it may be more usual for there to be only one generation, with harder and darker cocoons that withstand not only the rest of the summer but also the winter.