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Luminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Cepora nerissa
Lepidoptera / Pieridae
Cepora nerissa, the common gull, has cream wings with dark veins and margins and a yellow-toned underside. Indian accounts document seasonal variation, open-country habitats, larval hosts and adult nectar visits.
Read the species account
The Indian CSIR–NEERI account describes cream upper surfaces with dark veins and margins, a yellow-toned underside and a wingspan of 40–65 mm. Wet-season forms are darker and somewhat larger. [1]
The Indian account describes strong flight near the ground followed by resting on exposed leaves or bushes. Adults visit nectar plants including Tridax procumbens, Sida rhombifolia, Alternanthera and Lantana. [1]
Common gull is the English name used for Cepora nerissa in the Indian institutional account. [1]
The dark veins and margins contrast with cream upper-wing fields. The underside has a yellow-toned ground colour, while wet-season adults are darker in the Indian account. [1]
Pale wings, dark venation and yellow underside tones create a graphic rhythm within the botanical, metallic and celestial compositions.
Handle the enclosure rather than the specimen. Protect brittle wings from contact, and display the frame away from direct sunlight, persistent damp and strong heat. [4]
How do the seasonal forms differ? The Indian account describes wet-season adults as darker and somewhat larger. [1]
CSIR–NEERI documents Indian appearance, seasonal variation and adult activity. Naturalis supplies host-family and habitat traits, while the Indian host compilation adds named larval plants. [1][2][3]
CSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute · Accessed 2026-10-09
Naturalis Biodiversity Center · Accessed 2026-10-09
Indian Foundation for Butterflies · Accessed 2026-10-09
Canadian Conservation Institute · Accessed 2026-10-09
Smithsonian Gardens · Accessed 2026-10-09
Framed and digital artworks featuring this species. Current options and prices are listed on Etsy.
Sources checked 2026-10-09. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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