About Anthocharis cethura Felder & Felder, 1865
Anthocharis cethura, commonly called the desert orangetip or Felder's orangetip, is a butterfly species in the subfamily Pierinae. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it lives on hills and ridges in rocky desert habitat. Males and females look similar to one another. This species has a wingspan between 2.6 and 4 centimeters (1 to 1+1⁄2 inches). Its wings are yellow, with an orange patch toward the front of the forewing outlined in black and white. The wing edges are spotted with black, and the underside of the hindwing has greenish bands. Adult butterflies appear early in spring. Males congregate in midday sun to wait for females to emerge, and are more easily observed than females, which are active later in the day. The flight of this butterfly is quick and erratic. Females lay eggs singly on host plants. The conical eggs are blue green when fresh, then turn orange over time. In early developmental stages, the caterpillar is green with a purple stripe outlined in white. In its last instar, it is white with mottled markings. The larvae feed mostly on mustard family plants. Recorded host plants include lyreleaf jewelflower (Streptanthus carinatus), London rocket (Sisymbrium irio), western tansymustard (Descurainia pinnata), sand fringepod (Thysanocarpus curvipes), and California mustard (Streptanthus lasiophyllus). There are many recognized subspecies of this butterfly. The subspecies A. c. catalina is endemic to Santa Catalina Island, California.
