# Clouded yellow butterfly (*Colias croceus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/clouded-yellow-butterfly  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The clouded yellow butterfly (Colias croceus) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, placed in the family Pieridae and the genus Colias. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera and the superfamily Papilionoidea, within the class Insecta, phylum Arthropoda and kingdom Animalia. Its other English names are Clouded yellow and Common clouded yellow, and its scientific name carries the authority (Geoffroy, 1785). The Catalogue of Life lists it as a living species, not extinct.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 4 cm – 5.2 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Nectarivore |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | grassland, human_modified, shrubland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| On the wing | March to November |
| Generations a year | Several |
| Larval food plants | Fabaceae family |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Pieridae
- genus: Colias
- species: *Colias croceus* (Geoffroy, 1785)

Synonyms: *Colias croceus*, *Colias edusa*, *Colias edusa helicina*, *Colias edusa pyrenaica*, *Papilio croceus*, *Papilio croceus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the clouded yellow butterfly?

The clouded yellow butterfly is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera and the family Pieridae.

### What is the scientific name of the clouded yellow butterfly?

Its scientific name is Colias croceus, in the genus Colias.

### Who named Colias croceus and when?

The scientific name Colias croceus carries the authority (Geoffroy, 1785).

### What other names does the clouded yellow butterfly have?

It is also called the Clouded yellow and the Common clouded yellow.

### What family does the clouded yellow butterfly belong to?

It belongs to the family Pieridae, in the superfamily Papilionoidea.

### Is the clouded yellow butterfly extinct?

No. The Catalogue of Life lists the clouded yellow butterfly as living, not extinct.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Clouded yellow butterfly (Colias croceus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/clouded-yellow-butterfly