Cloudless Sulphur vs Spiny Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Cloudless Sulphur Spiny Ant
Scientific Name Phoebis sennae Polyrhachis dives
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pieridae Formicidae
Size 54-80 mm wingspan 5-7 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions North America, Central America, South America Southeast Asia, southern China, India
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Cloudless Sulphur

Large unmarked lemon-yellow butterfly; females may have faint spots. Common and conspicuous across the southern United States.

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Did You Know?

Large fall migrations of thousands can be seen streaming southward along the Atlantic coast.

Spiny Ant

A distinctive Asian ant with paired spines on the petiole and propodeum. Workers are metallic dark brown and build nests from silk produced by larvae, similar to weaver ants. Colonies are arboreal and highly territorial.

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Did You Know?

They are commonly eaten as a protein-rich food in parts of southern China, where they are harvested from silk nests in trees.