Madeiran Large White vs Northern Wood Ant
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Madeiran Large White | Northern Wood Ant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pieris brassicae wollastoni | Formica aquilonia |
| Order | Lepidoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Pieridae | Formicidae |
| Size | 5-6 cm wingspan | 4-8 mm |
| Habitat | Forests | Forests |
| Diet | Herbivores | Sap Feeders |
| Regions | Portugal | Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Scotland |
| Conservation | Critically Endangered | Least Concern |
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.
Did You Know?
Pesticide use and introduced parasitoid wasps are believed to have driven it to the brink of extinction.
Northern Wood Ant
A medium-sized red and black ant that builds large thatch mounds in boreal forests. Colonies can contain hundreds of thousands of workers. The mound orientation and structure help regulate nest temperature in cold climates.
Did You Know?
The ant mound acts as a solar collector, oriented to catch maximum sunlight, keeping the colony up to 20 degrees warmer than ambient temperature.