Colotis fausta

The Large Salmon Arab , Colotis fausta is a small butterfly of the Family Pieridae, that is, the Yellows and Whites, which is found in Asia.

Description

see glossary for terms used

The groundcolour on the upperside of males is pale salmon-buff, paler in specimens from desert areas, darker in those procured in regions where there is a regular though not heavy rainfall. Fore wing : base and costal margin irrorated in varying degree with dusky scales ; an oval annular discocellular spot that varies in size ; a black, festooned, postdiscal band that extends from costa to vein 4, beyond which the veins are margined with black ; this colour broadened sub-terminally into a second transverse fascia, that is followed by a very fine black line on the extreme terminal margin. In specimens from desert regions the transverse bands and the black edging to the veins are narrow, but in moister areas the two transverse bands unite posteriorly and with the slender black terminal line give an appearance as of a double series of spots of the ground-colour enclosed between them. Hind wing : more uniform, the veins with terminal black spots ; costa broadly pale, fading to white. Underside : pale yellowish white, in many specimens from moist localities suffused with a beautiful rosy flush ; the markings in such specimens prominent, in those from dry localities more or less obsolescent. Fore wing: discocellular spot as on the upper- side, but complete, and not an oval ring ; in some specimens a postdiscal, dark ochraceous brown, narrow, curved band from costa to middle of interspace 2. Hind wing : a small discocellular spot in the form of an oval light brown ring always much smaller than the similar spot on the fore wing ; a postdiscal, curved, more or less sinuate band similar to and in continuation of the band on the fore wing from the costa to vein 1. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen dusky black, the club of the antennae on the underside, the hairs that cover the head and thorax and the scaling of the abdomen salmon-buff ; beneath : much paler, fading to white in specimens from dry localities. Sex-mark : a small patch of brown specialized scales on the underside of the fore wing above vein 1, closer to the base than to the termen. On the upperside this is more or less prominent as a small raised spot.

Females are dimorphic. Form 1 : ground-colour and markings as in the male; the costa of the hind wing on the upperside concolorous with the rest of the wing ; the sex-mark of course absent. Form 2. Upperside : ground-colour white, often more or less irregularly suffused on parts of the wing with salmon-buff ; markings similar to those in the male, but very much broader. Fore wing : base and costal area heavily irrorated with greyish-blue scales. Hind wing : the terminal spots at apices of the veins large and quadrate, often united into a continuous band which then encloses an anticiliary series of spots of the ground-colour. In a few specimens there are traces of a postdiscal macular black band, in a very few this band is almost complete and very prominent. Underside: groundcolour white; markings as in the male, but broader, darker and more prominent.

Found in Baluchistan ; Sind ; the Punjab ; Rajasthan and Bombay. Also found in Asia Minor, Arabia, Persia and Afghanistan.

Race tripuncta, Butler. Very closely resembles the typical from, but this the southern form or race can be distinguished as follows : Male upperside has the ground-colour of a much deeper tint of salmon-buff, almost orange-yellow. Fore wing : costa heavily irrorated with black scales ; discocellular spot larger, not annular ; postdiscal black fascia at all seasons united to the subterminal fascia and black anticiliary line so that the whole apex and termen of the wing are black, broadly at the costa and gradually narrowed towards the tornal angle. This black area encloses never more than three preapical moderately large spots and a complete series of minute anticiliary specks of the ground-colour. Hind wing : as in fausta, but the terminal black spots very large. Underside: ground-colour of a richer yellower tint than in the typical form ; markings similar, those on the fore wing dusky black, on the hind wing rose-pink. Antennae, head, thorax, abdomen and sex-mark as in male of the typical form.

Female upperside closely resembles the female of form 2 of fausta, but all the markings are darker and conspicuously broader, while the number of the preapical spots of the ground-colour enclosed within the black area on the fore wing is never more than three, the same as in the male. Underside, fore wing : white sometimes faintly suffused with yellow ;apical and terminal areas anteriorly light to dark ochraceous yellow ; discocellular spot very large ; transverse, postdiscal, macular dark reddish-brown band very broad. Hind wing : pale ochraceous yellow, sparsely powdered with black scales ; transverse postdiscal macular band reddish brown and broad as in the fore wing. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in female form 2 of fausta.

Western and Southern India : Bombay, Poona, the Nilgiris up to 6000 feet, the Anaimalai Hills ; Eastern India : Orissa in Bengal, Ganjam ; Ceylon.

References

See also

• List of butterflies of India (Pieridae)