Butterflies ‹‹ Go Back

This beautiful butterfly belongs to the Pieridae family. It is found in Asia and Africa. Six subspecies have been recognized and the race in Sri Lanka is referred to as C. d. danae. Other than Sri Lanka it is also found in Western and Southern India and a number of African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa.

The conservation status of this species is regarded as Vulnerable (National Red List 2012) and it is protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance as amended by Act No. 22 of 2009.

It is known to occur from Puttalam on the coastal belt up to Jaffna. I have seen this butterfly at Mannar, Murukan, Arippu and Vidaththathivu. The sex of this species can be identified by the crimson tip of the female being divided by a black line and the absence of the same on the male.

The host plant on which the females of this species lay their eggs belongs to the Capparis sp. such as Wellangiriya, which is commonly found along the road from Eluwankulama to Mollikulama.

At Wilpattu I have seen this butterfly at Pukkulam and at Mollikulama.