Pontia glauconome, the desert white or desert Bath white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Arabia, Egypt, the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the southern part of the former Soviet Union, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The habitat consists of sub-deserts.

The wingspan is 45–50 mm. Adults are on wing from March to October, in three to four generations per year.

Pontia glauconome

The larvae feed on Epicastrum arabicum, Zilla spinosa, Caylusia, Dipterygium, Erucastrum, Moracandia, Diplotaxis, Cleome and Ochradenus species. The pupae have a facultative diapause of at least four years.

Pontia glauconome

Subspecies

Pontia glauconome glauconome (Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Arabia, Egypt, the Middle East, Afghanistan and the southern part of the former Soviet Union) Pontia glauconome iranica Bienert, 1870 (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan)

Pontia glauconome

References

glauconome

Butterflies of Africa

Butterflies of Asia

Butterflies of Europe

Lepidoptera of Cape Verde

Butterflies described in 1829