| Madeiran Large White | |
|---|---|
| Madeiran Large White (female) | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Pieris |
| Species: | P. brassicae |
| Subspecies: | P. b. wollastoni |
| Trinomial name | |
| Pieris brassicae wollastoni Butler, 1886 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Pieris wollastoni |
|
The Madeiran Large White (Pieris brassicae wollastoni) is a subspecies of the Large White, endemic to Madeira.[1] It can reach a size from 55 to 65 millimetres. The wings are pure white with a wide black tip on the apexes of the forewings. Its natural habitat is the laurisilva laurel forest.[2] Considering that it was last collected in 1977 but not found despite a 15 year survey during the 1980s and 1990s it might be either extremely rare or possibly extinct.[3] One reason for its decline might be a virus infection which brought out after the Small White (Pieris rapae) was introduced to Madeira in the 1950s.[4] The Latin name commemorates Thomas Vernon Wollaston, an entomologist who has discovered several insect taxa on Madeira.