''Athyma perius'', the common sergeant, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

nymphalid The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a red ...

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

found in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Description

The ''Athyma perius'' male has black wings with a series of white markings, while the female is a blackish brown. The underside of the wings are

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...

yellow with the white markings as on the upperside but heavily margined and defined with black. The antennae are black and there is a spot of ochre between the eyes. The thorax has a band or two of bluish spots

anteriorly Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

and posteriorly. The abdomen is transversely and narrowly barred with bluish white; beneath, the palpi, thorax and abdomen pure white. In the female, the abdomen has a double lateral row of minute black dots.

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically: *''Athyma perius avitus'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) *''Athyma perius hierasus'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) *''Athyma perius perinus'' Fruhstorfer, 1903 *''Athyma perius perius'' (Linnaeus, 1758)

Distribution

''Athyma perius'' is found throughout the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, Tenasserim, to

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

and the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

Life history

''Athyma perius'' uses '' Glochidion lanceolatum'', '' G. velutinum'' and ''

Wendlandia ''Wendlandia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in northeastern tropical Africa, and from tropical and subtropical Asia to Queensland. Species * '' Wendlandia aberrans'' F.C.How * '' Wendlandia acuminata'' Cow ...

thyrsoidea'' as food plants.

References

* * Athyma Fauna of Pakistan Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Indochina Butterflies described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Nymphalidae-stub