Butterflies of
Africa
Large Orange tip
Colotis antevippe
BOISDUVAL, 1836
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe - COLOTINI
Colotis antevippe,
Bahir Dar,
Ethiopia
©
Peter Bruce-Jones
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. The undersides
of most are pale whitish or buff, marked with sooty blackish
submarginal spots, and a band of smaller post-median spots.
Colotis antevippe is a widespread
and fairly common insect, distributed from Gambia to Ethiopia
and south to Angola, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa. It
also occurs in s.w Arabia.
Habitats
This species inhabits savannah, Acacia
scrub and large clearings in dry woodlands.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants include Maerua,
Capparis,
Boscia, Cabada and
Ritchiea ( Capparaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Colotis antevippe
is migratory in behaviour, and will fly long distances to seek
new breeding areas when the dry season sets in. In sunny weather
the butterflies are very active and rarely
settle for long, but they can be found basking
among the grasses or on bushes, early or late in the day when
temperatures are lower.
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