English name:
Fenton’s Wood White
Full scientific name:
Leptidea morsei (Grund, 1905)
Croatian name:
Grundov šumski bijelac
Flight Period and Life Cycle
2 broods per year. Overwinters as pupa.
Distribution in Croatia
North of continental Croatia. Check the included map.
External Morphology Characteristics
The butterfly’s wings are white, with a dark tip at the apex of the forewing’s upper side in males. The underside of the wings is gray, and the cell is white. The forewing is falcate in the v6 zone of the apex. On the hindwing’s underside, a gray band is visible in the discal and postdiscal zones. These features are more prominent in the spring brood. This butterfly closely resembles the Leptidea juvernica and Leptidea sinapis species.
Behavior
This species flies slowly. It feeds on the nectar of flowers. It often absorbs juices on moist ground.
Caterpillar Host Plants
Family Fabaceae.
Habitat
Woodland near water streams. Elevations: 100-700m.
Literature
Martin Gascoigne-Pees, Duncan Trew, Jim Pateman, and Rudi Verovnik: The distribution, life cycle, ecology and present status of Leptidea morsei (Fenton 1882) in Slovenia with additional observations
from Romania (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), Nachr. entomol. Ver. Apollo, N. F. 29 (3): 113–121 (2008)