Delias belisama

Delias belisama
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Delias
Species:
D. belisama
Binomial name
Delias belisama
(Cramer, 1779) [1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio belisama Cramer, [1780]
  • Delias belisama var. belisar Staudinger, 1891
  • Delias belisama var. vestalina Staudinger, 1891
  • Delias belisama var. erubescens Staudinger, 1891
  • Pieris glauce Butler, 1865
  • Delias nakula Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1889
  • Pieris sthenobaea Boisduval, 1836

Delias belisama is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It was described by Pieter Cramer in 1779. It is found in the Indomalayan realm.[2]

Description

The main ground colour of the upperside wings is white.with distinct black markings, most notably on the wing tips but extending along the margins of both wings.The ground varies var. belisar Staudinger, 1891 has a brilliant orange-coloured upper surface var.atisha Fruhstorfer has a uniformly dark ochre- yellow upper surface var. erubescens Staudinger, 1891 has a reddish tinge. The underside is variously patterned yellow and black with a prominent red streak, spot or stripe in Cell 7.The wingspan is about 74–84 mm.[3]

Subspecies

  • D. b. belisama (western and central Java)
  • D. b. glauce (Butler, 1865) [4] (Sumatra) a strongly darkened, distinct subspecies of larger size with almost entirely black under surface to the forewing which bears only slight traces of white or yellow submarginal spots.
  • D. b. nakula Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1889 [5] (eastern Java) -dark yellow proximal part (rainy-season form) and yogini Fruhstorfer with whitish or light yellow basal part on the upper surface, white instead of yellow subapical strigae on the forewing and light lemon-yellow under surface to the hindwing (dry-season form).
  • D. b. balina Fruhstorfer, 1908 [6]- a smaller race with broad light yellow hindwing without margins above and the apical border more deeply incised. The under surface of the forewing is more extended white at the inner margin. (Bali)

Taxonomy

It is a member of the belisama group which includes


References

  1. ^ Cramer, [1779] Uitlandsche Kapellen (Papillons exotiques)
  2. ^ Seitz, A., 1912-1927. Die Indo-Australien Tagfalter Grossschmetterlinge Erde 9 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ delias-butterflies
  4. ^ Butler, A. G., 1865 Description of six new species of diurnal Lepidoptera in the British Museum collection Proc. zool. Soc. Lond. 1865 (2) : 430-434, pl. 25
  5. ^ Grose-Smith, H. & Kirby, W.F. 1887–1902. Rhopalocera Exotica - being Illustrations of New, Rare and Unfigured Species of Butterflies 3 Vols. Gurney & Jackson, London.
  6. ^ Fruhstorfer, H., 1908. Neue Rhopalocerenrassen der Insel Bali. Internationale entomologische Zeitschrift 2(38): 238
  • Delias at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms