Dynamic Checklist of the Western Palearctic butterflies
(Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) Hyperlinked to Systematics, Genetics and Distribution Papilionoidea Rationale
The tribe Anthocharodini constitutes a well-supported monophyletic clade, clearly distinct from the Pierini (Kawahara A.Y. et al. 2023). Nonetheless, the internal generic structure of this tribe has been the focus of several competing and markedly divergent hypotheses. Tracing back to Higgins (1975), the classification of genera, based primarily on male genitalia morphology, was as follows: Euchloe Hübner, [1819] (including tagis (Hübner, [1804])), Elphinstonia Klots, 1930, Anthocharis Boisduval, Rambur & Graslin, [1833], and Zegris Boisduval, 1836. Between 1979 and 2013, Back conducted extensive studies on the biology of numerous species within this group and published multiple papers reporting his findings, without revising the generic framework.
The studies by Back, Knebelsberger and Miller (2006, 2008), however, fundamentally reshaped the overall framework of this group. First, the genus Iberochloe Back, Knebelsberger and Miller, 2008, was established to accommodate two species, tagis Hübner, [1804], and pechi Staudinger, 1885. For clarity, a concise summary of the various proposed generic arrangements within the tribe is presented below:
Back, Knebelsberger & Miller (2008): Euchloe + ((Iberochloe + Anthocharis) + Elphinstonia)
Back, Miller & Opler (2011): Euchloe + ((Iberochloe + Elphinstonia) + Anthocharis)
Back (2020: 10): (Euchloe + (Zegris + Elphinstonia)) + (Anthocharis + Iberochloe)
Kawahara A. et al. (2023): (Anthocharis + Euchloe) + Zegris
In view of these alternative hypotheses, Marabuto et al. (2020) recommended, as a taxonomic outcome of their study, retaining Euchloe, Elphinstonia and Iberochloe as subgenera of Euchloe.
Dapporto et al. (2022) recognise only three genera, listed alphabetically as Anthocharis, Euchloe and Zegris, and treat the species assigned by Back (2020) and Marabuto et al. (2020), both at subgeneric level, to Iberochloe and Elphinstonia as members of Euchloe.
Conclusion
Views on the delimitation and hierarchical rank of genera within the tribe remain diverse and, in several cases, mutually contradictory. In the face of this ongoing instability, the checklist (Taymans & Cuvelier 2025), follows the generic and specific framework adopted by Dapporto et al. (2022), with two exceptions. The checklist (Taymans & Cuvelier 2025), includes Euchloe pechi (Staudinger, 1885), as the genetic divergence reported in that study is relatively substantial and its habitus is highly distinctive. However, this placement remains provisional, as Back (1984) demonstrated that Algerian and European populations exhibit an exceptionally high degree of reproductive compatibility, with natural copulation occurring readily and no developmental anomalies or particular susceptibilities observed in the offspring.
Back (2020) treated Zegris meridionalis (Lederer, 1853) as a valid species. In line with Dapporto et al. (2022), the present checklist (Taymans & Cuvelier 2025), considers meridionalis to be a subspecies of Zegris eupheme (Esper, [1804]).
References
Back W. 1979. Zur Biologie der europäischen und nordwestafrikanischen Populationen von Euchloe ausonia Hübner 1804 (Lep. Pieridae). — Atalanta 10(3): 225-243. (url)
Back W. 1984. Beschreibung der Präimaginalstadien von Euchloe tagis pechii Staudinger, 1885* (Lep. Pieridae). — Atalanta 15(1-2): 152-164. (url)
Back W. 1991. Taxonomische Untersuchungen innerhalb der Artengruppe um Euchloe ausonia (Hübner, 1804) (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). — Atalanta 21(3/4): 187-206. (url)
Back W. 2013. Verbreitung von Euchloe ausonia (Hübner, 1804), Euchloe daphalis (Moore, 1865) und Euchloe persica Verity, 1908 stat. nov. im Iran. — Atalanta 44: 109-117.
Back W. 2020. In: Bozano G. Guide to the Butterflies of the Palearctic Region. Pieridae part 4, Subfamily Pierinae (partim), Tribe Anthocharidini. — Milano: Omnes Artes (Ed.). 102 p.
Back W., Knebelsberger T. & Miller M.A. 2006. The phylogenetic relationships of the species and subspecies of the subgenus Elphinstonia Klots, 1930 (Lepidoptera, Pieridae). — Atalanta 37(3/4): 469-482. (url)
Back W., Knebelsberger T. & Miller M.A. 2008. Molekularbiologische Untersuchungen und Systematik der paläarktischen Arten von Euchloe Hübner, [1819] (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). — Entomologische Zeitschrift 118(4): 147-169.
Back W., Miller M. A. & Opler P. A. 2011. Genetic, Phenetic, and Distributional Relationships of Nearctic Euchloe (Pieridae, Pierinae, Anthocharidini). — The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 65(1): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.18473/lepi.v65i1.a1
Dapporto L., Menchetti M., Vodă R., Corbella C., Cuvelier S., Djemadi I., Gascoigne-Pees M., Hinojosa J., Lam N., Serracanta M., Talavera G., Dincă V. & Vila. R. 2022. Atlas of mitochondrial genetic diversity for Western Palearctic butterflies. — Global Ecology and Biogeography 31: 2184-2190. Article: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13579. Supplementary Materials: url.
Higgins L. 1975. The Classification of European Butterflies. — London: Collins (Ed.). 320 p.
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Marabuto E., Pina-Martins F., Rebelo M. & Paulo O. 2020. Ancient divergence, a crisis of salt and another of ice shaped the evolution of the west Mediterranean butterfly Euchloe tagis. — Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 131(3): 487–504. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blaa129
Taymans M. & Cuvelier S. A dynamic checklist of the Western Palearctic butterflies hyperlinked to the original descriptions at species, genus and family level (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea). — Archives of Western Palearctic Lepidoptera 2025(1): 1-70. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14733224
Archives of Western Palearctic Lepidoptera Editors-in-Chief: Michel Taymans & Sylvain Cuvelier
