Butterflies of
Africa
Veined Golden Arab
Colotis vesta
REICHE, 1849
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe - COLOTINI
Colotis vesta,
Arba Minch,
Ethiopia
©
Peter Bruce-Jones
Introduction
There are about 40 Colotis species, 39 of which are primarily or entirely Afrotropical in
distribution.
Most Colotis have white
uppersides, with prominent orange, yellow or crimson tips to the
forewings, but there are a few exceptions including
aurigineus,
chrysonome and vesta. All
three species have yellow uppersides with black markings, and a
whitish patch at the base of the wings. In
vesta the markings are heavier than in the other 2
species, and the pale basal patch extends much further out,
reaching the black spot in the forewing discal cell.
Colotis vesta is distributed from
Gambia to Ethiopia, and south to South Africa.
Habitats
This is a common savannah species, found at altitudes between
about 200-1800m.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplants include Maerua,
Boscia, Ritchiea and
Capparis ( Capparidaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Both sexes commonly nectar at Maerua
and other flowers. When nectaring or basking, the wings are
usually held half open, with the hindwings almost covered by the
forewings.
Colotis vesta,
Arba Minch,
Ethiopia
© Peter
Bruce-Jones
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