Green-striped White

Euchloe belemia

Malaga, February 2007

Gibraltar, 1983

This species is found only in southern Spain and Portugal. It is easily identified as the only white to have these striking tiger pattern white stripes on the hindwing. When I lived in Gibraltar it was a common insect on the grassy slopes around the peninsula. In February 2007 I returned to the Rock and saw a couple of individuals but the weather was not good and I didn't have time to search all the areas thoroughly. However, on my return, through Malaga, I found a patch of rough land where the species seemed well-established and most of the above photos are from there.

In flight, the green-striped white distinguishes itself from common whites by its small size and its very high mobility, hardly ever stopping more than a few seconds in one place, in my experience, and always flying in determined fashion. For this reason, I found it very hard to get any pictures at all and had to settle for rather poor ones!