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Sticker of Mottled emigrant
Bug card No. 2917 of 4,939

Mottled emigrant

Catopsilia pyranthe
Eats: PlantsButterfliesRainforests and jungles6 legs

The mottled emigrant is a chalky white butterfly, sometimes with a light green tint. Underneath, its wings are greenish or yellowish and covered in tiny reddish brown marks. It is a strong flier found in warm countries.

Lives in
South and Southeast Asia, New Guinea and parts of Australia, in gardens and open land
Top speed
about 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its green caterpillar eats the leaves of senna, cassia and other plants of the pea family.
For real!Photo of Mottled emigrant
Picture by Alexey Yakovlev. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It grows from egg to butterfly in only about 22 to 29 days.

2

Because it grows so fast, it can have up to 11 or 12 families in one year.

3

Its caterpillar rests along the middle line of a leaf.

4

Its pupa is pale green with a yellow line along the side.

you asked

Most asked questions about Mottled emigrant

?What does the mottled emigrant caterpillar eat?

Leaves of senna, cassia and related plants.

?Where does the mottled emigrant live?

In South and Southeast Asia, New Guinea and parts of Australia.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Catopsilia pyranthe
Group
Butterflies
Family
Pieridae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Pieridae
Lives on
Asia, Australia and Oceania

Where the facts come from

  1. Catopsilia pyranthe (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Alexey Yakovlev. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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