What is the difference between the Large White Butterfly (Pieris brassicae) and the Small White Butterfly (Pieris rapae)?
Both the Large White Butterfly and the Small White Butterfly are white insects in the Pieridae family of white and yellow butterflies.
The Large White Butterfly is about 5-7 centimetres (2-3 inches) across its wings, whereas the Small White Butterfly is about 3-5 centimetres (1-2 inches) across its wings.
The Large White Butterfly has a black band at the tip of its forewings (front wings), whereas the Small White Butterfly has no black bands.
The Large White Butterfly has bigger and darker black spots on its wings, whereas the Small White Butterfly has smaller and lighter black spots with irregular (ragged) edges. The male Large White Butterfly has no black spots, and the Small White Butterfly usually has one black spot.
The Large White Butterfly has a bad taste to its predators (birds), whereas the Small White Butterfly is not distasteful to its predators.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM