About Colias erate (Esper, 1805)
This entry describes Colias erate (Esper, 1805), a butterfly species in the genus Colias. Its wingspan measures 23–26 mm, and Central Asian individuals are generally larger than European specimens. Colias erate has slightly more pointed wingtips than closely related species. Like most Colias species, it has a yellow base wing colour. Females with whitish-tinted wings are occasionally found in Europe, and this whitish form predominates in Central Asia. The species is extremely variable in wing colouration, making it very difficult to distinguish from similar species within the same genus. The upper surfaces of the forewings are lemon yellow, with a broad black outer edge. The black colour extends from around the wing tip toward the leading edge. In males, this black marking is dark, with only little or no yellow submarginal spots interspersed. In females, the black marking is paler, and contains several yellow submarginal spots. There is a small black spot located approximately in the middle of the forewing, slightly offset from the front edge. The upper surfaces of the hindwings are also lemon yellow, but lightly dusted with dark scales. Much of the outer edge of the hindwing is also edged with dark colour, though not as broadly as the forewing. In females, the dark edging is significantly paler again, and interrupted by yellow in some places. There is an orange spot in the middle of the hindwing. The undersides of both pairs of wings are a more intense yellow, and lightly dusted with dark olive green. The entire wing edge has a fine reddish border. The black forewing spot present on the upper surface also appears on the underside, along with a few additional submarginal spots along the outer edge. On the underside of the hindwing, a lighter spot with a reddish edge replaces the orange upper surface spot, and this spot is bordered by another very small spot. The dark row of submarginal spots on the forewings continues along the outer edge of the hindwings, but is only faintly visible. Frederic Moore published a detailed description of the subspecies Colias erate lativitta in 1882. For males: Base colour is yellow. The forewing has a broad, unspotted blackish band, whose inner border is angled inward at the upper median vein. The band is sparsely speckled with yellow on the anterior veins. The discocellular spot is large and black. The hindwing has a broad, crenulated blackish band and a large orange-yellow discocellular spot. The underside is olivaceous yellow. The forewing has a black discocellular spot and a distinct discal row of spots. The hindwing has a moderate-sized dull pearly-white discocellular spot with a red border. For females: Base colour is either yellow or white. The forewing band is broader than in males, with non-prominent upper and lower yellow spots. The discocellular spot is distinct. The hindwing is darker, with a broad marginal band crossed internally by large, ill-defined yellow spots. The discocellular spot is brighter red. Wingspan ranges from 1 5/8 to 2 2/8 inches.
