Butterflies of
Africa
Small Salmon Arab
Colotis amata
FABRICIUS,
1775
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe - COLOTINI
Colotis amata,
male
Introduction
The genus Colotis comprises of 40
species, 39 of which are primarily or entirely Afrotropical in
distribution. The majority of species have pure white
uppersides, with prominent orange, yellow or crimson tips to the
forewings. A few however, including amata,
phisadia and
vesta have uppersides that are more akin to the
Colias Clouded Yellows in
appearance, although they are only distantly unrelated, being
members of a different subfamily.
Colotis amata is distributed across
Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia, and south to Namibia, South
Africa and Madagascar. It is also found in Arabia, and is
widespread on the Indian subcontinent, including on Sri Lanka.
Habitats
This species inhabits hot arid areas including coastal
grassland, Acacia scrub, savannah,
farmland, and large clearings in dry forests. it occurs at
altitudes between sea level and about 1200m.
Lifecycle
The larvae are gregarious, feeding on
Salvadora ( Salvadoraceae ).
Adult behaviour
Early or late in the day when
temperatures are low, both sexes
commonly bask on the foliage of bushes, with their wings either
half-open or almost fully outspread. In warm sunny conditions they
visit flowers for nectar, and hold their wings erect while
feeding.
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