Larsen 1996: pl. 8, figs 73 i–iii. d’ Abrera 1997: 91 (5 figs). SI: Figure 27a–h.

Forewing length: male 24–30 mm (mean (n = 9) 26.68 mm, SD = 1.348); female 22.5– 28 mm (mean (n = 5) 25.38 mm, SD = 1.333).

Records. A very widespread species of the Afrotropics, including Madagascar, found in moist, frost-free savannah, secondary grasslands and forest margins. Subspecies severina occurs throughout Tanzania, at altitudes from sea level to 2600 m, but Kielland (1990, p.60) does not give specific records. Recorded from Kilimanjaro at 5000–6000 ft by Godman (1885, p.539), in August by Aurivillius (1910a, p.11), and migrating in large numbers near Moshi in June 1928 (Williams 1930, p.158). The BMNH collection includes a small number of specimens from W. Kilimanjaro collected in 1937 at 4000–5000 ft by B. Cooper, and from Taveta at 2500 ft by E. Barns. The continuing presence of this butterfly on Mount Kilimanjaro was confirmed by Liseki (2009), who found it to be common at all periods of the year across the transect studied, from 2000–3000 m. Beyond Tanzania, this subspecies occurs from East Africa and DRC to Cape Province, with the species as a whole occupying almost all of the Afrotropics (Ackery et al. 1995) – including, perhaps, the Cape Verde islands (Mendes and Bivar de Sousa 2010).

Although some male forms have been named, on the upperside the males are relatively constant in appearance, always with a bright, white ground colour. In contrast, females are more variable, with much broader and darker wing borders, and most often with a yellow ground colour (although some females are yellowishwhite or off-white). On the underside, however, both sexes vary in ground colour and intensity of the dark markings. Notably in males, the ground colour of the hindwing underside, which is usually clear yellow, can be white – and most or even all of the wing veins can be picked out by dark scales, or several or most veins can be concolorous with the ground.

Separation of male B. aurota and B. creona can at first sight appear difficult. As pointed out by Migdoll (1987, p.228) and Woodhall (2005, p.336), in Africa the hindwing underside of B. aurota is predominantly white, whereas that of B. creona is evenly yellow (perhaps notably, however, the underside of B. aurota from the Indian subcontinent can be white or yellow; see Discussion). Belenois aurota has a relatively narrow postdiscal black band towards the apex of the forewing underside, the corresponding band in creona generally being much broader. This is reflected on the male forewing upperside by typically longer preapical pale streaks in aurota, shorter streaks in creona. Female aurota have much narrower dark hindwing margins than creona, with the hindwing underside discal cell white in aurota, yellow in creona.