Baltia butleri
Encyclopedia
Butler's Dwarf , Baltia butleri is a small butterfly
of the Family Pieridae
, that is, the Yellows and Whites, which is found at high altitudes in India
and Pakistan
.
Closely resembles Baltia shawi
, from which it differs as follows:
Male has the upperside ground-colour as in Baltia shawi. Fore wing has the black markings also more or less similar but altogether smaller and narrower, the terminal series of spots reduced to three or four. Hind wing is similar, but there are two conspicuous black spots on the discocellulars. Underside of the fore wing has the ground-colour white, veins dusky, costa narrowly and apex suffused with pinkish ochraceous; the discocellular black spot as on the upperside;
veins, 4, 5, 6, and apical portion of 7 broadly bordered on each side with black scales that run parallel to but do not touch the veins. Hind wing: ground-colour pinkish ochraceous, the veins
-conspicuously white; all of them, except a small portion in the middle of the discocellulars, bordered, in the manner similar to the veins at the apex of the fore wing, with broad lines of black
scales on each side.
Female has the upperside similar to the upperside of B. shawi female, but the wings are irrorated with black scales only at their bases; the black markings on the fore wing are altogether
smaller and narrower, and the black curved, outwardly dentate, discal band becomes diffuse and ill-defined posteriorly. On the hind wing the discocellulars are prominently marked with an upper and a lower black spot, and the discal macular band is more conspicuous than in B. shawi female. Underside precisely as in the male, except that on the fore wing the discal black band is seen through by transparency from the upperside. In both sexes the antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in B. shawi.
A variety var. potaxini, Alpheraky, is recorded from the Xian-Shan, Koko-Nor, and Western China. It differs from the typical form on the upperside, in the male by the restriction and narrowness
of the black markings, in the female by the ground-colour which is tinged with greenish yellow. On the underside there seems to be scarcely any difference.
The butterfly has a wing expanse of 42–54 mm.
, the Digha pass; 150000 feet in Leh; Kardong Pass in the Karakoram
and other areas at an altitude of 15,000 to 18,000 feet.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Family Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...
, that is, the Yellows and Whites, which is found at high altitudes in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
Closely resembles Baltia shawi
Baltia shawi
Shaw's Dwarf , Baltia shawi is a small butterfly of the Family Pieridae, that is, the Yellows and Whites, which is found at high altitudes in Central Asia.-Description:Male on upperside is pale white; base of wings irrorated with black scales...
, from which it differs as follows:
Male has the upperside ground-colour as in Baltia shawi. Fore wing has the black markings also more or less similar but altogether smaller and narrower, the terminal series of spots reduced to three or four. Hind wing is similar, but there are two conspicuous black spots on the discocellulars. Underside of the fore wing has the ground-colour white, veins dusky, costa narrowly and apex suffused with pinkish ochraceous; the discocellular black spot as on the upperside;
veins, 4, 5, 6, and apical portion of 7 broadly bordered on each side with black scales that run parallel to but do not touch the veins. Hind wing: ground-colour pinkish ochraceous, the veins
-conspicuously white; all of them, except a small portion in the middle of the discocellulars, bordered, in the manner similar to the veins at the apex of the fore wing, with broad lines of black
scales on each side.
Female has the upperside similar to the upperside of B. shawi female, but the wings are irrorated with black scales only at their bases; the black markings on the fore wing are altogether
smaller and narrower, and the black curved, outwardly dentate, discal band becomes diffuse and ill-defined posteriorly. On the hind wing the discocellulars are prominently marked with an upper and a lower black spot, and the discal macular band is more conspicuous than in B. shawi female. Underside precisely as in the male, except that on the fore wing the discal black band is seen through by transparency from the upperside. In both sexes the antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in B. shawi.
A variety var. potaxini, Alpheraky, is recorded from the Xian-Shan, Koko-Nor, and Western China. It differs from the typical form on the upperside, in the male by the restriction and narrowness
of the black markings, in the female by the ground-colour which is tinged with greenish yellow. On the underside there seems to be scarcely any difference.
The butterfly has a wing expanse of 42–54 mm.
Distribution
Found in LadakhLadakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
, the Digha pass; 150000 feet in Leh; Kardong Pass in the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
and other areas at an altitude of 15,000 to 18,000 feet.