About Delias pasithoe (Linnaeus, 1758)
Delias pasithoe, commonly known as the redbase Jezebel, is a medium-sized butterfly belonging to the Pieridae family, the family that includes yellows and whites. This species occurs in parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. There has been longstanding taxonomic dispute over which species the specific name aglaja (or aglaia), published twice by Linnaeus in 1758, actually refers to: it could be the redbase Jezebel, or Speyeria aglaja (the dark green fritillary), a brush-footed butterfly. For this treatment, the name Delias pasithoe is used for the redbase Jezebel, following the replacement name proposed by Linnaeus himself. Its distribution covers Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Myanmar, and Tenasserim; its range extends south through the Malay Peninsula to Borneo, and east through the Shan States to Thailand and southern China. Recorded food plants for Delias pasithoe are Buddleja, Camellia sinensis, Citrus maxima, Dendrophthoe glabrescens, Loranthus parasiticus, Loranthus pentandrus, Loranthus yadoriki, Nauclea rotundifolia, Santalum album, Taxillus chinensis, Taxillus limprichtii, Taxillus nigrans, and Taxillus parasiticus.
