Charaxes imperialis

Charaxes imperialis, the imperial blue charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.[4]

Charaxes imperialis
From the CAR
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Charaxes
Species:
C. imperialis
Binomial name
Charaxes imperialis
Synonyms
  • Charaxes imperialis ugandicus f. caerulipunctatus van Someren, 1972

Description

Ch. imperialis Btlr. male – forewing above with a straight blue transverse band, which starts somewhat behind the middle of the hindmargin, runs obliquely towards the apex, gradually narrowing anteriorly and broken up into spots; the band is 5 mm. in breadth at the hindmargin and only continuous to vein 2, then broken up into spots; the spots in cellules 3-5 contain white dots and those in cellules 6 and 7 are white, the one in cellule 7 placed nearer to the base than that in 6; the forewing is black and has in addition to these spots a white dot at the apex of the cell in cellule 4, a white dot before the middle of cellules 5 and 6 and small blue marginal spots. On the hindwing the blue band is continued to vein 2 with a breadth of about 7 mm. and placed almost exactly in the middle, covering the apex of the cell; blue submarginal spots and marginal streaks; tails short, about 3 mm. in length. On the under surface of the hindwing the black, distally light-margined transverse streaks of cellules 2-7 are placed in a nearly straight line. In the female the blue median band between vein 2 on the hindwing and vein 2 on the forewing is formed just as in the male, then follow in each cellule from 2-7 on the forewing two rounded, light yellow spots, the proximal one in cellule 4 placed at the apex of the cell; the marginal spots of both wings and the submarginal spots of the hindwing are yellowish. A rare species occurring from Sierra Leone to the Congo. [5]

Subspecies
  • C. i. imperialis (Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin)
  • C. i. albipuncta Joicey & Talbot, 1920 [6](Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, northern Democratic Republic of the Congo)
  • C. i. dargei Collins, 1989 [7] (southern Congo)
  • C. i. graziellae Turlin, 1989 [8](Tanzania: north-west to the Mumwendo Forest)
  • C. i. lisomboensis van Someren, 1975 [9] (north-eastern Zambia, Tanzania: Kigoma)
  • C. i. nathaliae Canu, 1989 [10] (Bioko)
  • C. i. pauliani Rousseau-Decelle, 1933[11] Democratic Republic of the Congo: south to Lualaba)
  • C. i. ugandicus van Someren, 1972[12] (Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo: north Kivu)
  • C. i. werneri Turlin, 1989 (Rwanda: Nyungwe Forest)

Biology

The habitat consists of lowland to sub-montane forests.

The larvae probably feed on Sapindaceae species.

Subspecies lisomboensis occurs at altitudes from 800 to 1 500 m. [13]

Taxonomy

Charaxes tiridates group.

The supposed clade members are:

For a full list see Eric Vingerhoedt, 2013.[14] The type locality is “Whydah on the Gold Coast”

References
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Wikispecies has information related to Charaxes imperialis.
  1. Larsen, T.B. 2020. Charaxes imperialis (amended version of 2011 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T160165A176156732. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T160165A176156732.en. Downloaded on 08 August 2021.
  2. Butler, A.G. 1874. Descriptions of three new species and a new genus of diurnal lepidoptera, from the collection of Andrew Swanzy, Esq. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1874: 531-533.
  3. "Charaxes Ochsenheimer, 1816" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  4. Afrotropical Butterflies: File H - Charaxinae - Tribe Charaxini
  5. Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. Die Großschmetterlinge der Erde Band 13: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Großschmetterlinge, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter, 1925, 613 Seiten, 80 Tafeln (The Macrolepidoptera of the World 13).Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. Joicey, J.J., & Talbot, G. 1921. New Lepidoptera collected by Mr. T.A. Barns in east central Africa. Bulletin of the Hill Museum, Witley 1: 40-166.
  7. Collins, S. C in Henning, S.F. 1988 [1989]. The Charaxinae butterflies of Africa. Aloe Books, Johannesburg, 1-457.
  8. Turlin, B. in Henning, S.F. 1988 [1989]. The Charaxinae butterflies of Africa. Aloe Books, Johannesburg, 1-457.
  9. van Someren, V.G.L. 1975. Revisional notes on African Charaxes, Palla and Euxanthe (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part X. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Entomology) 32 (3): 65-136.
  10. Canu, J.G 1989. In: Henning, 1989. The Charaxinae butterflies of Africa 136 (457 pp.). Johannesburg.
  11. Rousseau-Decelle, G. 1933. Notes sur quelques formes nouvelles des genres Papilio et Charaxes [Lep.]. Bulletin de la Societe Entomologique de France 38: 269-273.
  12. Van Someren , V.G.L. 1972. Revisional notes on African Charaxes (Lepidoptera:Nymphalidae). Part VIII. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology) 27 (4): 215-264.
  13. Kielland, J. 1990 Butterflies of Tanzania. Hill House, Melbourne and London: 1-363.
  14. "African Charaxes/Charaxes Africains Eric Vingerhoedt, 2013". Archived from the original on 2013-06-27.
  • Victor Gurney Logan Van Someren, 1972 Revisional notes on African Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part VIII. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology)215-264.


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