About Appias lyncida (Cramer, 1779)
Appias lyncida, commonly called the chocolate albatross, has a wingspan ranging from 55 to 70 mm. Males have white upper wing surfaces with chocolate-brown or black margins, and bright lemon yellow lower wing surfaces marked with chocolate-colored patterns. Females have white base wing color that is densely clouded with dark brown. This butterfly species exhibits seasonal dimorphism and is highly variable. Detailed descriptions of the two seasonal forms are provided below. For the wet-season form: Males have white upper wings, with a bluish costa and termen edged inwardly with black tooth-like markings on the forewing. The hindwing has similar tooth-shaped markings along the termen, which also has a bluish inner border. The underside of the hindwing is bright yellow and bordered outwardly with dark chocolate coloring. Females of the wet-season form have black upper forewings with four white streaks across the disc. The upper hindwings are blackish, except for the whitish discal area. The underside of the hindwing may be yellowish or whitish, and has a broad dark band along the termen. The dry-season form is smaller overall. Males of the dry-season form have narrower black margins on their upper wing surfaces. Females are similar in upper wing appearance to wet-season form females, but have more extensive white markings. The chocolate albatross is distributed across India, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Indochina, Taiwan, and Hainan, and possibly occurs in other parts of South China. Within India, the species ranges across south India, the Nicobar Islands, and the area from Sikkim to Assam, extending onward into Myanmar. In South India, the chocolate albatross occurs along the foothills of the Western Ghats. It can be found year-round in the Nilgiris, where it is locally common. In the northern parts of peninsular India, its range extends into Orissa and reaches north as far as Lucknow. The larvae of the chocolate albatross have been recorded feeding on Crataeva religiosa, Capparis roxburghii, and Capparis heyneana.
