Baltia shawi

Shaw's Dwarf
Illustration from Stoliczka's Yarkand collection
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Baltia
Species:	B. shawi
Binomial name
Baltia shawi (Bates, 1873)
Synonyms
Mesapia shawii Bates, 1873

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

See glossary for terms used

Male on upperside is pale white; base of wings irrorated with black scales. Forewing: costal margin very narrowly yellowish, costal and subcostal veins irrorated with black scales, a discocellular elongate oblique black spot; a narrowly sub-triangular short oblique pre-apical black bar, its apex downwards, and a series of inwardly triangular black spots on the termen, these narrow posteriorly and reach from the apex of wing to vein 1. Hind wing: uniform, the irroration of black scales more extended than on the fore wing.

Underside: forewing white; costa and apex irrorated with black scales, the costa and termen margined with a line of pinkish yellow; the black diseocellular spot, the black preapical bar and terminal series of black spots much as on the upperside, but the last is ill-defined, somewhat diffuse at apex and does not descend below vein 3. Hind wing: white with a dull pinkish tinge all over; the whole surface irroratod with black scales that form a broad elongate patch on posterior half of the wing and an obscure curved macular discal band beyond the cell; disco-cellulars defined with black.

Venation of Baltia spp (Family Pieridae) and comparison of hindwings of both Baltia spp, i.e. B. butleri and B.shawi.

Female differs from the male as follows:— Upperside: somewhat thickly irrorated all over with black scales. Fore wing with the discocellular black spot and terminal series of inwardly-pointed triangular black spots as in the male, but the latter more complete, extends from apex to tornus, the spots are larger and there is no pre-apical bar, out a complete, outwardly dentate, curved discal black band that crosses the wing from costa to dorsum. Hind wing: the irroration of black scales very dense in a broad patch posteriorly, and so arranged as to form a curved macular discal band. Underside similar to that of the male, but on the fore wing there is a complete terminal series of inwardly triangular black spots and a complete, outwardly dentate, curved discal black band; while on the hind wing the irroration of black scales is denser. In both sexes the antennae are white annulated with black, the club black; head whitish; thorax and abdomen fuscous black; beneath: head and thorax fuscous black, abdomen prominently white.^[1]

Wing expanse 34-50 mm.

Recorded from the Karakoram Mountains at an elevation of 18,000 feet; found also in the Pamirs and Tibet.

See also

• List of butterflies of India (Pieridae)

References

1. ^ Bingham, C. T. 1907. Fauna of British India. Butterflies. Volume 2.