White butterfly (Leptidea amurensis)

Japanese: ヒメシロチョウ(姫白蝶) - ヒメシロチョウ（英語表記）Leptidea amurensis

An insect of the Lepidoptera order, Pieridae family. A rather small butterfly, its wings are short from front to back despite its full wingspan (4-5cm), giving it a strong horizontal impression. Its body is also thin, and it flies weaker than the cabbage white. The white pigment is a flavone, different from the pterin pigment found in the cabbage white. It is found in eastern Asia, and in Japan, except for Shikoku, it is distributed locally in areas with volcanic ash soil. In Honshu, the larvae prefer the legume Acanthurus nigricans, and are relatively common in the high and dry areas of Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures and their surrounding areas.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

鱗翅目シロチョウ科の昆虫。やや小型のチョウで，開張(4～5cm)の割りには翅が前後に短く，横長の印象が強い。体も細く，モンシロチョウなどよりは飛び方が弱々しい。白い色素はフラボン系で，モンシロチョウなどのプテリン系とは異なる。アジア東部に産し，日本では四国を除く各地，主として火山灰土質の地域に局地的に分布する。幼虫は本州ではマメ科のツルフジバカマを選好し，長野･山梨両県とその周辺の高燥地には比較的ふつうである。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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