Delias belladonna
Encyclopedia
Delias belladonna, the Hill Jezebel, is a medium sized mountain butterfly
of India
. It belongs to the Family Pieridae
, that is, the Yellows and Whites.
Male has the upperside dusky brownish black to black. Fore wing with the following diffuse white markings : Cell with an oblique sub-
apical bar, an angulated discal series of three upper spots inclined obliquely outwards and three lower spots inclined obliquely
inwards ; in most specimens the oblique bar in the cell and the lower two of the discal series of spots are extended diffusely
inwards ; finally, a subterminal series of large rounded spots white inwardly, irrorated with black scales outwardly. Hind wing :
dorsal margin, including interspaces la, 1 and 2, basal half whitish, apical half more or less strongly tinged with pure canary-yellow ; a large oval yellow spot at base of interspaces 7 and 8 ; a broad, ill-defined diffuse whitish streak in cell ; a discal series of diffuse whitish spots that is angulated outwards at interspace 5, the posterior spots more or less tinged with yellow ; followed by a subterminal series of whitish spots as on the fore wing, only slightly tinged with yellow. Underside: ground-colour similar but more brownish, markings similar but more clearly and sharply defined ; the subterminal series of spots on both fore and hind wings more or less dentate ; the upper three spots of this series on the fore wing and generally all of the spots on the hind wing yellow ; on the hind wing the dorsal margin and the cell-streak are also yellow, while the discal series of spots are more often than not tinged with the same colour. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black, the antennae annulated obscurely with white, the abdomen beneath white.
Female is similar, ground-colour always paler and duller: markings on the upperside less distinct, the subterminal series of spots on the fore wing as a rule farther from the margin than in the male.
Wing expanse of 70-98 mm.
; Bhutan
from 2000 to 7000 feet ; Assam
: the Khasi Hills ; the hills of Burma and Tenasserim ; extending into Siam and China.
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 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...
. It belongs to 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.
Description
apical bar, an angulated discal series of three upper spots inclined obliquely outwards and three lower spots inclined obliquely
inwards ; in most specimens the oblique bar in the cell and the lower two of the discal series of spots are extended diffusely
inwards ; finally, a subterminal series of large rounded spots white inwardly, irrorated with black scales outwardly. Hind wing :
dorsal margin, including interspaces la, 1 and 2, basal half whitish, apical half more or less strongly tinged with pure canary-yellow ; a large oval yellow spot at base of interspaces 7 and 8 ; a broad, ill-defined diffuse whitish streak in cell ; a discal series of diffuse whitish spots that is angulated outwards at interspace 5, the posterior spots more or less tinged with yellow ; followed by a subterminal series of whitish spots as on the fore wing, only slightly tinged with yellow. Underside: ground-colour similar but more brownish, markings similar but more clearly and sharply defined ; the subterminal series of spots on both fore and hind wings more or less dentate ; the upper three spots of this series on the fore wing and generally all of the spots on the hind wing yellow ; on the hind wing the dorsal margin and the cell-streak are also yellow, while the discal series of spots are more often than not tinged with the same colour. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black, the antennae annulated obscurely with white, the abdomen beneath white.
Female is similar, ground-colour always paler and duller: markings on the upperside less distinct, the subterminal series of spots on the fore wing as a rule farther from the margin than in the male.
Wing expanse of 70-98 mm.
Distribution
The Himalayas from Kulu to SikkimSikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
; Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
from 2000 to 7000 feet ; Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
: the Khasi Hills ; the hills of Burma and Tenasserim ; extending into Siam and China.