The Zebra White Butterfly (Pinacopteryx eriphia melanarge) is a medium-sized east African butterfly. It is a pierid butterfly in the Pieridae family – white, yellow and orange-tip butterflies.

The Zebra White Butterfly has pale-black and pale-yellow wings. Its underside is brown and cream with a yellow or orange mark at the base of each wing.

Zebra White Butterfly

It grows to about 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) with a wingspan of about 4-5.5 centimetres (1.5-2 inches).

The Zebra White Butterfly is from east Africa countries, such as southern Sudan, southern and central Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, northern Uganda, and northern Tanzania. It prefers tropical grasslands and savannah areas.

Its caterpillars feed on leaves and plants, and its adult butterfly feeds on nectar from flowers.

It moves frequently from flower to flower, often resting in dry grass.

Females lay small eggs on plants, which hatch into caterpillars. Caterpillars pupate – they make a chrysalis, which is a casing. Inside the casing, the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis (changes), and it emerges as an adult butterfly.

Zebra White Butterfly

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM