Cryptic Wood White
CR

Cryptic Wood White

Leptidea juvernica

Unknown

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptidea_juvernica

Overview

Leptidea juvernica, the Cryptic wood white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae.

The Cryptic Wood White is critically endangered primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation of its specialized woodland and grassland habitats. Agricultural intensification, urbanization, and changes in land management practices have severely reduced the availability of suitable breeding sites and host plants. Climate change may also be affecting the species' distribution and the phenology of its host plants.

Threat summary

Habitat

L. juvernica ranges from Ireland and France in the west to Kazakhstan in the east. The population in Ireland was formerly thought to be Leptidea reali, but is now known to be L. juvernica.

Other threatened species in Pieridae

EN

Catasticta revancha

Unknown
Southern Small WhiteVU

Southern Small White

Pieris mannii

Unknown
Krueper's Small WhiteVU

Krueper's Small White

Pieris krueperi

Unknown
Gruner's Orange-tipVU

Gruner's Orange-tip

Anthocharis gruneri

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Cryptic Wood White classified as Critically Endangered?
Cryptic Wood White is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Cryptic Wood White is critically endangered primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation of its specialized woodland and grassland habitats. Agricultural intensification, urbanization, and changes in land management practices have severely reduced the availability of suitable breeding sites and host plants. Climate change may also be affecting the species' distribution and the phenology of its host plants.
Where does Cryptic Wood White live?
Cryptic Wood White occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Cryptic Wood White?
The main threats to Cryptic Wood White are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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