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Phoebis agarithe
Large Orange Sulphur
Florida native
Can be found year-round in peninsular Florida, usually in low open tropical areas such as gardens and pastures, often seen in parks, trails and powerline right of ways. Also frequent in Texas and mainly southward through Mexico, Central and South America to Peru.
The upperside of male Phoebis agarithe are a plain bright orange. Female wing uppersides are either pink-white or yellow-orange. The undersides of the forewings of both sexes have a straight submarginal line, distinguishing P. agarithe from other Phoebis species. This submarginal line is the straight and unbroken row of brownish spots starting near the apex of the forewing and leading away from the outer margin.
Large orange sulphur adults feed on the nectar of many flowers, including Spanish needles as seen here, lantana, bougainvillea, Madagascar periwinkle, Turk's cap and hibiscus.
Phoebis agarithe is a member of the Pieridae - Whites & Sulphurs family.
Other species of the Phoebis genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Phoebis philea - ORANGE-BARRED SULPHUR
Phoebis sennae - CLOUDLESS SULPHUR
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net page for this species
Date record last modified: Jul 27, 2022
