biology

Madeiran large white

Madeiran large white is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Madeiran large white rather than just read about it. In short: The Madeiran large white (Pieris brassicae wollastoni) was a subspecies of the large white butterfly, endemic to Madeira. It was described by the English entomologist, Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1886.

Key takeaways

Madeiran large white belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Madeiran large white to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Madeiran large white from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Madeiran large white (Pieris brassicae wollastoni) was a subspecies of the large white butterfly, endemic to Madeira. It was described by the English entomologist, Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1886.

Description They can reach a size of 55 to 65 millimeters (2 to 2.5 inches). The wings are pure white with a wide black tip on the apexes of the forewings. Its natural habitat is the laurisilva laurel forest. Larvae have yellow stripes on the upper part of the green body and has black lumps. Known food plants are nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea).

Decline This butterfly was last collected in 1994, and has not been found since despite a 15-year survey during the 1990s and 2000s. It was officially declared extinct by the IUCN in 2023. The disappearance of this species coincides with the introduction, in the 1950s, of the small white butterfly (Pieris rapae). The mechanisms involved are not fully understood but a viral infection may be involved with the small white introducing a different strain of the granulosis virus, for which the Madeiran large white had no resistance. Another reason may be the introduction of a widely introduced agricultural bioagent, the wasp parasitoid, Cotesia glomerata, which was found in the western Canary Islands in May 2006. It uses the Pieridae as a host and is commonly found where Pieridae species are in abundance.

Distribution Endemic to Madeira and found in the northern valleys of the laurel forest.

Etymology The scientific name commemorates Thomas Vernon Wollaston, an English entomologist who has discovered several insect taxa on Madeira.

References

Further reading Holt White, A. E.; Holt White, Rashleigh (ed.) (1894) The butterflies and moths of Teneriffe. Illustrated from the author's drawings. L. Reeve & Co., London

External links Large White

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Madeiran large white

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Madeiran large white claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Madeiran large white before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Madeiran large white ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Madeiran large white

In research: Madeiran large white appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Madeiran large white in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Madeiran large white is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arthropods of Madeira, Butterflies described in 1886, Butterflies of Africa, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Madeiran large white outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Madeiran large white” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Madeiran large white in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Madeiran large white means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Madeiran large white out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Madeiran large white in simple terms?

The Madeiran large white (Pieris brassicae wollastoni) was a subspecies of the large white butterfly, endemic to Madeira. It was described by the English entomologist, Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1886.

Why does Madeiran large white matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Madeiran large white?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Madeiran large white.