Bug FAQCommon Jezebel
Delias eucharis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Also called: Indian Jezebel
Its upper wings are white with broad black veins and a distinctive black transverse band, while the underside shows broader black edging and yellow-tinged areas. It lives in many habitats across South and Southeast Asia, from hill forests to beach hinterlands, and breeds throughout the year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The upper side is white with black veins that broaden into triangles at the tips and a broad black band across the forewing. The underside repeats the pattern but the black edging on the veins is much wider and the upper two spaces beyond the band have a yellow tint.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is nomadic and found in many environments, including temperate hill forests, tropical rainforests, dry woodlands, and beach hinterlands.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on parasitic mistletoes such as Loranthus that grow on tree branches. Larvae often stay together, and many pupae can be found close to each other on walls or tree trunks.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species breeds continuously throughout the year. When disturbed, the larva drops from the leaf on a silken thread.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is mimicked by the painted sawtooth (Prioneris sita). The common Jezebel’s hindwing spots are arrow-head shaped, unlike the squarish spots of the painted sawtooth.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars of the common Jezebel eat?
They feed on mistletoe species like Loranthus that grow on tree branches.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a common Jezebel apart from a painted sawtooth?
The Jezebel has arrow-head shaped orange-red spots on the hindwing, while the painted sawtooth’s spots are more square.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delias_eucharis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.