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Adult

Clouded Sulphurs are predominantly yellow with a black wing border. Most northern females are white. The discal cell spot is a small black dot on the dorsal forewing, and yellow or orange on the dorsal hindwing. Females have yellow (or white) spots within a wide black forewing border. The discal cell spot on the ventral hindwing is white and surrounded by two red or pink rings, and it may have a satellite spot. There is usually a ventral row of up to six small, brown submarginal spots on each wing, but they may be reduced or absent, especially in northern populations. Females are sometimes white, especially in northern BC, with the usual dark markings. The upperside of the wings of males does not reflect ultraviolet light, in contrast to the Orange Sulphur.

Immature Stages

Eggs are cylindrical and tapered at both ends, with 12-15 longitudinal ribs down the sides. The eggs are pale yellow when laid, changing to red in a few days (both subspecies). Mature larvae of subspecies philodice are dark green, with slightly paler raised points. Many very short hairs give it a downy appearance. There is a fainter green dorsal line and a yellowish-white lateral band with a rosy line through it; the head is green (Saunders 1869a; Bethune 1873b). Mature larvae of subspecies eriphyle from Quesnel, BC, are dark green, with numerous black slightly raised points, with a short black hair arising from each black point, a darker green dorsal line, and a narrow white lateral line with pink red ("rosy") dashes in the lower half of the white line (CSG). The dashes are broken with white between each segment. The pupae of subspecies philodice are pale green, with a yellowish tinge and a ventral darker yellow line down each side formed of tiny spots. The abdomen has a blackish brown line low down on each side, and there is a dorsal dark green line (Saunders 1869a; Bethune 1873b). There is a red dot below the yellow lateral line on each abdominal segment (Edwards 1874-84). Pupae of subspecies eriphyle from Quesnel, BC, have three bright red dashes on each side of the abdomen (CSG).

Subspecies

Subspecies in BC are poorly defined. Subspecies eriphyle W.H. Edwards, 1876 (TL: Lac la Hache, BC) definitely occurs in southern and central BC and the Peace River lowlands. Both males and females are warm yellow and frequently have an orange tint to the basal area of the fore- and hindwings. White females are uncommon but occur regularly. There are many populations that do not appear to be subspecies eriphyle, because the adults are a colder yellow and lack the orange tint, and females are very rarely white. This phenotype is most often associated with alfalfa, suggesting that the nominate subspecies has followed alfalfa into the province. Subspecies vitabunda Hovanitz, 1943 (TL: Mt. McKinley National Park, AK) occurs throughout montane northern BC and much of the Peace River. The black wing borders are narrow, the females are frequently white, and the submarginal brown spots on the ventral hindwings are frequently absent. Subspecies eriphyle and vitabunda fly together at the Clayhurst crossing of the Peace River, in closely adjacent habitats, suggesting they may be separate species. More observations are needed to determine whether their contact is the result of the recent introduction of alfalfa (used by eriphyle larvae), and whether they may simply have not yet interbred enough to merge into a single population.