Pontia distorta (Butler, 1886)

Liseki, Steven D. & Vane-Wright, Richard I., 2014, Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: family Pieridae, subfamily Pierinae, Journal of Natural History 48 (25 - 26), pp. 1543-1583 : 1564

[ Pontia distorta (Butler, 1886) ]

Larsen 1996: pl. 9, figs 88 i. d’ Abrera 1997: 101 (3 figs).

Records. According to Kielland (1990, p.63), this very small species (fwl 12–20 mm) occurs in “North-eastern Tanzania ”. Otherwise this butterfly is only known from very dry areas in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya (Kulal area, Kerio Valle, Archer’ s Post (Samburu), Athi River, Lake Baringo?). Larsen (1996, p.143) doubts that distorta occurs in Tanzania, the confusion apparently arising due to BMNH specimens labelled “Namanga” (F.C. Selous, 17.ii.1916) which, according to N.D. Riley, most probably came from Lake Baringo, not Tanzania. There is nothing to link this butterfly with the Kilimanjaro massif.