Cirrochroa thais

Cirrochroa thais, also known as the Tamil yeoman, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in forested areas of tropical Sri Lanka and India. It is the state insect of Tamil Nadu, an Indian state.

Description
"Wet-season form: Male. Upperside rich bright fulvous, somewhat deepest basally. Forewing with a slender dusky-lined discocellular streak, a transverse discal more or less prominent black sinuous interrupted line, its anterior portions from upper median dilated and bent inward; two submarginal sinuous lines, the inner dilating broadly inward to the costa, the outer partly merged into the black of outer border. Hindwing crossed by a more or less prominent black inner-discal slender broken line, anteriorly bordered by an outer costal quadrate white patch, followed by a medialrow of black spots, two submarginal sinuous Hues and a marginal even line. Underside. Ground-colour of various shades of reddish-ochreous washed with pale violaceous-grey ; subbasal line dusky brown; transverse discal band white or violaceous-grey, dilated anteriorly, its inner-edge brown-lined and more or less deeply sinuous or broken up into dentate portions, its outer-edge being straight and unlined; followed by an outer-discal series of very obscure dusky dentate marks on the forewing, and a row of small black spots on hindwing, and submarginal lunular lines of the ground-colour bordered by violaceous-grey.

Female. Forewing more falcate at the apex. Upperside paler than in male, darker basally ; markings similar. Underside olivescent greyish-ochreous or pale brownish-ochreous, washed with violaceous-grey; markings similar to male; the discal baud generally prominently edged on both sides by a dark purple-grey line; the discal row of black spots on hindwing very small.

Dry-season form: Male. Upperside slightly paler than in wet-season form ; all the markings comparatively less prominent. Underside paler and a duller reddish-ochreous, the subbasal and outer markings obscure, the discal band on both wings entire throughout its course, and either of the same shade as the ground-colour or white, its inner edge being very slightly sinuous, and not broken up into dentate portions as in wet-season form.

Female. Upperside also slightly paler than in wet-season form, and the markings less prominent. Underside paler greyish-ochreous than in wet-season form; subbasal and outer markings similar; the discal baud entire, as in male, white."

- Frederic Moore

Wingspan 60–75 mm.