Colias spend most of their time in active flight and are very strong flyers. Flying is essential for them mate as well as pollinate. But they are very susceptible to temperature and have flight restrictions based on their body temperature. Flight activity is restricted between 27-40 degrees Celsius. Their flight performance is best once at 33-38 degrees Celsius. In order to maintain these temperatures the Colias will use a lateral basking posture. When they reach a temperature outside of the flight activity zone, Colias will find a shaded area under plants in order to cool down.
Species The genus Colias has approximately 90 different species. It is often difficult to find differences between the species, since they are mostly identified through their wing structure and pattern. (
C. phicomone)Listed alphabetically: •
Colias adelaidae Verhulst, 1991 •
Colias aegidii Verhulst, 1990 •
Colias alfacariensis Ribbe, 1905 – Berger's clouded yellow •
Colias alexandra W. H. Edwards, 1863 – Queen Alexandra's sulphur, Alexandra sulfur, or ultraviolet sulfur •
Colias alpherakii Staudinger, 1882 •
Colias aquilonaris Grum-Grshimailo, 1899 •
Colias arida Alphéraky, 1889 •
Colias audre (Hemming, 1933) •
Colias aurorina Herrich-Schäffer, 1850 – Greek clouded butterfly or dawn clouded yellow •
Colias baeckeri Kotzsch, 1930 •
Colias behrii W. H. Edwards, 1866 – Behr's sulphur or Sierra green sulfur •
Colias berylla Fawcett, 1904 – Everest clouded yellow •
Colias canadensis Ferris, 1982 – Canada sulphur •
Colias caucasica Staudinger, 1871 – Balkan clouded yellow •
Colias chippewa W. H. Edwards, 1872 – heath sulphur •
Colias chlorocoma Christoph, 1888 •
Colias christina W. H. Edwards, 1863 – Christina sulphur •
Colias christophi Grum-Grshimailo, 1885 •
Colias chrysotheme (Esper, 1781) – lesser clouded yellow •
Colias cocandica Erschoff, 1874 •
Colias croceus (Geoffroy, 1785) – dark clouded yellow or common clouded yellow •
Colias dimera Doubleday, 1847 – dimera sulphur •
Colias diva Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 •
Colias dubia Fawcett, 1906 – dwarf clouded yellow •
Colias electo (Linnaeus, 1763) – African clouded yellow •
Colias elegans Schultz, 1904 •
Colias elis Strecker, 1885 (often included in
C. meadii;
paraphyletic?) •
Colias eogene C. & R. Felder, 1865 – fiery clouded yellow •
Colias erate (Esper, 1805) – eastern pale clouded yellow •
Colias erschoffi Alphéraky, 1881 •
Colias eurytheme Boisduval, 1852 – orange sulphur, alfalfa butterfly •
Colias euxanthe C. & R. Felder, 1865 – Puno clouded yellow •
Colias felderi Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 •
Colias fieldii Ménétriés, 1855 (
C. myrmidone) •
Colias flaveola Blanchard, 1852 – flaveola clouded yellow •
Colias gigantea Strecker, 1900 – great (northern) sulphur •
Colias grumi Alpheraky, 1897 •
Colias harfordii W. H. Edwards, 1877 – Harford's sulphur •
Colias hecla Lefèbvre, 1836 – northern clouded yellow, Greenland sulphur, or hecla sulphur (
paraphyletic?) •
Colias heos (Herbst, 1792) •
Colias hofmannorum Eckweiler, 2000 •
Colias hyale (Linnaeus, 1758) – pale clouded yellow •
Colias hyperborea Grum-Grshimailo, 1899 •
Colias interior Scudder, 1862 – pink-edged sulphur •
Colias johanseni Troubridge & Philip, 1990 – Johansen's sulphur •
Colias krauthii Klots, 1935 •
Colias lada Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 •
Colias ladakensis Felder & Felder, 1865 – Ladakh clouded yellow •
Colias leechi Grum-Grshimailio, 1893 •
Colias lesbia (Fabricius, 1775) – Lesbia clouded yellow •
Colias libanotica Lederer, 1858 (sometimes included in
C. aurorina) •
Colias marcopolo Grum-Grshimailo, 1888 •
Colias marnoana Rogenhofer, 1884 •
Colias meadii W. H. Edwards, 1871 – Mead's sulphur •
Colias montium Oberthür, 1886 •
Colias mukana Berger, 1981 •
Colias myrmidone (Esper, 1781) – Danube clouded yellow •
Colias nastes Boisduval, 1834 – Labrador sulphur •
Colias nebulosa Oberthür, 1894 •
Colias nilagiriensis Felder, C & R Felder, 1859 •
Colias nina Fawcett, 1904 – Fawcett's clouded yellow •
Colias occidentalis Scudder, 1862 – western sulphur or golden sulfur •
Colias palaeno (Linnaeus, 1761) – moorland clouded yellow, Arctic sulphur, palaeno sulphur or pale Arctic clouded yellow •
Colias pelidne Boisduval & Le Conte, 1829 – blueberry sulphur or pelidne sulphur •
Colias phicomone (Esper, 1780) – mountain clouded yellow •
Colias philodice Godart, 1819 – common sulphur, clouded sulphur •
Colias ponteni Wallengren, 1860 •
Colias pseudochristina Ferris, 1989 •
Colias regia Grum-Grshimailo, 1887 •
Colias romanovi Grum-Grshimailo, 1885 •
Colias sagartia Lederer, 1869 •
Colias scudderii Reakirt, 1865 – willow sulphur •
Colias shahfuladi Clench & Shoumatoff, 1956 •
Colias sieversi Grum-Grshimailo, 1887 •
Colias sifanica Grum-Grshimailo, 1891 •
Colias staudingeri Alphéraky, 1881 •
Colias stoliczkana Moore, 1882 – orange clouded yellow •
Colias tamerlana Staudinger, 1897 •
Colias thisoa Ménétriés, 1832 •
Colias thrasibulus Fruhstorfer, 1908 – lemon clouded yellow •
Colias thula Hovanitz, 1955 – Thula sulphur •
Colias tibetana Riley, 1922 •
Colias tyche (Böber, 1812) – pale Arctic clouded yellow, Arctic green sulphur, or Booth's sulphur •
Colias viluiensis (Ménétriés, 1859) •
Colias wanda Grum-Grshimaïlo, 1907 •
Colias wiskotti Staudinger, 1882 ==Distinguishing characteristics==