The Small Salmon Arab Colotis
calais amatus is a small butterfly. They are distributed from Sub-Saharan
Africa to india including southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. They favour
arid regions. The eggs of the Small Salmon Arab are typical for Colotis
species, being long and thin, and laid in groups on a leaf of the food plant.
They lay about 30 eggs at once, and after hatching the caterpillars feed in
groups of up to a dozen on the leaf. After pupation, which takes place on the
same plant, the adult butterflies emerge and disperse. Both male and female Small Salmon Arabs
bear very similar markings, although the male is slightly smaller and has a
darker band of black running down the front edge of the hindwing. The orange
spots on the female’s hindwing are also much larger and more pronounced than in
the male.
