Butterflies of
the Indian
subcontinent
Small Salmon Arab
Colotis amata
FABRICIUS,
1775
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe - COLOTINI
Colotis amata,
Weligaththa, Sri Lanka
Introduction
The genus Colotis comprises of 40
species, 39 of which are primarily or entirely Afrotropical in
distribution. The majority 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.
Colotis amata,
male, Bundala, Sri Lanka
Lifecycle
The larvae are gregarious, feeding on
Salvadora ( Salvadoraceae ).
Adult behaviour
The butterflies
commonly bask on the foliage of bushes, with their wings either
half-open or almost fully outspread. Both sexes are fond of nectaring at Tridax
and at mints ( Lamiaceae ).
Colotis amata,
( female on right ), Bundala, Sri Lanka
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