Butterflies of
Africa
Chloris Dotted
Border
Mylothris chloris
FABRICIUS, 1775
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe - PIERINI
Mylothris
chloris, Wli Falls, Ghana / Togo border
Introduction
The
genus
Mylothris
is confined to the African continent and includes 51 species, most of which are
distributed across the forest belt from Cameroon to western Kenya.
Mylothris
butterflies share a number of characteristics : They have rounded wings, with a
black apex on the upperside forewings. On the underside, fore and hindwings
of most species have a single row of prominent black marginal spots, hence the butterflies in
this genus are all known as Dotted Borders. M. chloris
is untypical, having instead a broad dark margin on the hindwings.
Mylothris
chloris is found from Gambia and Senegal to Ethiopia, and south to Uganda
and Kenya.
Habitats
This species is found in open woodland, forest clearings, acacia scrub, savannah
/ forest mosaics, parks and gardens, at altitudes between sea level and about
1200m.
Lifecycle
The caterpillars
of chloris feed mainly on Loranthaceae including
Engelina, Phragmanthera
and Loranthus; and also on
Osyris ( Santalaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Both sexes fly throughout the day around tree tops, where
courtship and copulation take place.
The flight is
slow and deliberate, and in conjunction with the conspicuous
appearance is indicative of the fact that the butterflies are distasteful to avian predators.
Males are
usually seen singly when imbibing mineralised moisture around the edges
of puddles on forest tracks, normally in shaded or semi-shaded
areas.
Mylothris
chloris, Wli Falls, Ghana / Togo border
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