White Angled-Sulphur (Anteos clorinde [Godart])
Wing span: 2 3/4 - 3 1/2 inches (7 - 9 cm).
Identification: Large. Apex of forewing hooked. Wings pale green, fading with age. Yellow bar in forewing cell; more diffuse in female.
Life history: Strong flyers; usually fly high and rapidly over the canopy or along rivers. Eggs are laid singly on edges of host plant leaves. No distinct broods.
Flight: Many flights from August-December in south Texas, all year in the tropics.
Caterpillar hosts: Senna (Cassia spectabilis) in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult food: Nectar from red or purple flowers including Lantana, Bougainvilla, and Hibiscus.
Habitat: Subtropical, open, sunny areas; migrants found almost anywhere.
Range: Resident from Argentina to Mexico; regular migrant to South Texas; occasional in Great Plains to Nebraska and northeast Colorado.
Conservation: Not required.
Management needs: None reported.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery
References:
DeVries, P. J. 1987. The butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural history. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 327 pages, 50 color plates. Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates. Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates. Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Brown, F.M., Eff, J.D., and B. Rotger. 1957. Colorado Butterflies. Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver. Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. University of Oklahoma Press. Norman. Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON. 280 pp. Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. Privately published, Denver, Colo. Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.