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This is a small Pieridae butterfly found in the dry and arid northern and southern parts of the country. It is found in Africa, southern Arabia, Madagascar, India and Sri Lanka. Five subspecies have been recognized and the race that is found in Sri Lanka is C.a. modesta.

The conservation status of this species is regarded as Least Concerned (National Red List 2012).

This is a species protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance as amended by Act No. 22 of 2009.

This butterfly occurs in two forms where the ground colour of the inner wing or rector surface is either white or pink. They fly very close to the ground and can be seen flying during the hottest times of the day. They often settle on small bushes. I have seen them at Bundala, Kumana and Yala National parks in the south. In the northwest I have seen them from Nawadankulama to the Jaffna Peninsular. I have also seen them in the Delft Island and the Karathivu Island off the coast of Jaffna. The caterpillars of this species are known to feed on the tender leaves of the Mustard Tree Maliththan (S) Savadora persica.

In Wilpattu this butterfly can be seen in the western parts up to Modaragam Aru where its host tree is common and not the main Villu areas.