Madeiran Large White vs European Red Wood Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Madeiran Large White European Red Wood Ant
Scientific Name Pieris brassicae wollastoni Formica rufa
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pieridae Formicidae
Size 5-6 cm wingspan 4-9 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Herbivores Sap Feeders
Regions Portugal Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Critically Endangered Near Threatened

Madeiran Large White

A subspecies of the large white butterfly that was endemic to Madeira. It has not been reliably recorded since the 1970s and may be extinct.

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Did You Know?

Pesticide use and introduced parasitoid wasps are believed to have driven it to the brink of extinction.

European Red Wood Ant

A large mound-building ant found across European forests. Workers are reddish-brown with a darker abdomen and aggressively spray formic acid when threatened.

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Did You Know?

A single wood ant colony can consume millions of pest insects per season, making them vital forest protectors.