Colotis etrida (Boisduval, 1836) കുഞ്ഞൻ ചെഞ്ചിറകൻ

Malayalam Name	:	കുഞ്ഞൻ ചെഞ്ചിറകൻ
Family	:	Pieridae
Sub-family	:	Pierinae
Tribe	:	Leptociaini
Order	:	Lepidoptera

DISTRIBUTION

South Asia and South EastAsia

STATUS: Not common

HABITAT

It is common in dry deciduous forests, scrub and fallow lands and found throughout the year.

HABITS

The characteristics of this species vary according to the season in which the eggs are laid

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Small size Yellow,white and orange butterfly with wingspan 25-45 mm. The species wingspan is between 50 and 55 mm.
Male: The ground colour on the upperside of the males is white, sparsely irrorated (speckled) at base of forewings and hindwings with black scales.

The forewing has a small black spot on the discocellulars; apex broadly black, with an enclosed oval, curved, rich orange patch placed obliquely and traversed by the veins, which there are black; inner edge of black area diffuse

Hindwing is uniform, except for a preapical short diffuse black streak from the costa, sometimes absent, and a series of terminal black spots that in specimens from moist localities are very large.

Underside is white with the cell and apex of forewing suffused with sulphur yellow, the orange patch of the upperside shows through by transparency, its inner edge margined anteriorly by a very obscure oblique fuscous band. Hindwing has the preapical short transverse black streak on the upperside obscurely indicated
The female is very similar to the male but can be distinguished as follows: Upperside of the forewing has a narrower orange patch enclosed within the black apical area; a small black spot in middle of interspace 1 and another in interspace 3. Hindwing has the terminal spots slightly larger. On the underside the apex of forewing and whole surface of hindwing suffused lightly, or in specimens from very dry localities heavily, with ochraceous. Forewing has spots in interspaces 1 and 3 as on the upperside. Hindwing: a curved, almost complete, discal series of fuscous spots; otherwise as in the male.