Prioneris sita
Encyclopedia
Painted Sawtooth, Prioneris sita is a small butterfly
of the Family Pieridae, that is, the Yellows and Whites, which is found in India.
Upperside: White with a slight greenish tint.
Fore and hind wings: The markings of the underside faintly visible through the wing.
Underside:
Fore wing: White, costa black and the apex suffuse with yellow.
Hind wing: Rich chrome-yellow up to a postdiscal band. Beyond this the ground color is white with a series of large terminal vermillion-red spots. These spots are rectangular or truncated cone shaped.
The antennae is brownish black. Head and thorax are covered with long bluish-grey hairs. The abdomen is greyish white.
Expanse. male,female 86–90 mm (3.40-3.55").
The Painted Sawtooth is a batesian mimic of Delias eucharis
, the Common Jezebel. The two can be told apart from the shape of the hind wing. The Painted Sawtooth has a much broader hind wing. The orange red spots on the margin of the hind wing, in the Painted Sawtooth, are more squarish in shape whereas in the Common Jezebel they are arrow head shaped.
The Painted Sawtooth also flies faster and inhabits dense forests. Unlike the Common Jezebel it can also be found mudpuddling.
Pupa: Bright green in color. Sharply pointed at the head, with two strong lateral points and keeled on the dorsal surface of the thoracic segments. There is an interrupted yellow dorsal line, and a short curved crimson line on each side below the thoracic segments bordering a small white irregular black speckled spot.
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, that is, the Yellows and Whites, which is found in India.
Description
Fore and hind wings: The markings of the underside faintly visible through the wing.
Underside:
Fore wing: White, costa black and the apex suffuse with yellow.
Hind wing: Rich chrome-yellow up to a postdiscal band. Beyond this the ground color is white with a series of large terminal vermillion-red spots. These spots are rectangular or truncated cone shaped.
The antennae is brownish black. Head and thorax are covered with long bluish-grey hairs. The abdomen is greyish white.
Expanse. male,female 86–90 mm (3.40-3.55").
Mimicry
Delias eucharis
The Common Jezebel is a medium sized pierid butterfly found in many areas of South and Southeast Asia, especially in the non-arid regions of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand...
, the Common Jezebel. The two can be told apart from the shape of the hind wing. The Painted Sawtooth has a much broader hind wing. The orange red spots on the margin of the hind wing, in the Painted Sawtooth, are more squarish in shape whereas in the Common Jezebel they are arrow head shaped.
The Painted Sawtooth also flies faster and inhabits dense forests. Unlike the Common Jezebel it can also be found mudpuddling.
Life cycle
Larva: Dull blue-green colored. The head and all the segments are dotted with minute blue tubercles, those on the head and sides are black-tipped. Dorsal surface pubescent with a lateral fringe of soft white hairs below the spiracles.Pupa: Bright green in color. Sharply pointed at the head, with two strong lateral points and keeled on the dorsal surface of the thoracic segments. There is an interrupted yellow dorsal line, and a short curved crimson line on each side below the thoracic segments bordering a small white irregular black speckled spot.
See also
- PieridaePieridaeThe 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...
- List of butterflies of India
- List of butterflies of India (Pieridae)