Extinct Pieris species and subspecies in Europe and Asia

[luehdorfia]

I would really like to know which subspecies of Pieris (also Anthocharis and Euchloe) species are already extinct, or extremely hard to get and will probably go extinct in the future.

Of species it is probably only Pieris wollastoni that is already extinct.

Concerning subspecies I know of

Pieris mannii haroldi (Wyatt) an extinct Moroccan subendemic,

Pieris segonzaci jadidi (Tarrier) an extinct Moroccan subendemic

Pieris napi atlantis (Oberthür) an extinct Moroccan subendemic according to Michel Tarrier.

Do you know of any others? I would be really interested, since most of them are so common, but still if climate changes even further probably even more populations or even complete subspecies would lose their habitats forever.

[luehdorfia]

Jan, thank you so much for that detailed answer. You really opened my understand for the connection between host plant, butterfly and becoming rare/extinct. Now it all makes sense, when these Moroccan Pieridae rely on their "island" mountain habitat and climate change or overgrazing drives the host plants ever further uphill, then someday the end is just there.

[luehdorfia]

It is sometimes really amazing how ignorance and "good intentions" cause more damage to nature than any perceived "harmful" action such as catching and collecting butterflies. Nature protection enthusiasts who grow forests in ecologically extremely valuable dry grasslands, or then probably some politicians who support goat farming policies and destroy the whole ecosystem.