Charaxes hadrianus

Taxonomy

Charaxes hadrianus is the sole member of the Charaxes hadrianus group. The type locality is Cameroun.

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, south-western Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Uganda. The habitat consists of wet primary forests.

Description

Charaxes hadrianus has a wingspan reaching about 90 mm. The upperside of the forewings is white, with a brown basal area and a black apical part showing several white spots. The underside of the forewings is grey, with a large black eyespot. The upperside of the hindwings is white, with black outer margins. The underside of the hindwings is crossed vertically midway by a red band, with a row of small black spot on the outer margin.

Description in Seitz

Hadrianus Group. This group is only represented by a single species of characteristic appearance. Hindwing above and both wings beneath with white ground-colour. The black transverse streaks in the basal part of the under surface are very fine and in part indistinct or entirely suppressed; in cellule lb of the forewing near the hinder angle a large, deep black spot. The tails of the hindwing are obtuse, the one at vein 2 about 2 mm., that at vein 4 nearly 5 mm. in length. Sexes alike in colour and markings. Ch. hadrianus Ward Forewing at the base red-brown nearly to vein 3, then black with a white median band, at the hindmargin about 15 mm. in breadth, but rapidly narrowing anteriorly and terminating at vein 5, with two small white discal spots in cellules 5 and 6, white submarginal spots in 2-6 and a white marginal spot in lb. Hindwing above narrowly red-brown at the base, with black submarginal and marginal streaks at the distal margin. Beneath the hindwing has in the middle a thick black transverse line, distally accompanied by a deeply dentate red-brown transverse band; this transverse band shows through above. A beautiful but rare species, occurring from the Niger to the Congo.

Biology

The larvae feed on Ouratea species (Ouratea reticulata) and Ochna species.

References

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 31
• 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.https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/127337#page/273/mode/1up

References

1. Ward, C., 1871. Descriptions of new species of diurnal lepidoptera from Madagascar ''Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine'' 8: 120 (34-36, 58-60, 81-82, 118-122)
2. [http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/charaxinae/charaxes/ "''Charaxes'' Ochsenheimer, 1816"] at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''
3. Larsen, T.B. 2005 ''Butterflies of West Africa''. Apollo Books, Svendborg, Denmark
4. Schultze, A. 1916. Die Charaxiden und Apaturiden der Kolonie Kamerun. ''Archiv für Biontologie'' 4: 83-129.
5. "Afrotropical Butterflies: File H - Charaxinae - Tribe Charaxini".
6. [https://www.abdb-africa.org/species/Charaxes_hadrianus African Butterfly Database]
7. [https://archive.org/stream/entomologistsmon78187072oxfo#page/120/mode/1up The Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine – Vol. VII]
8. Aurivillius, [P.O.]C. 1908-1924. In: Seitz, A. ''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' Band 13: Abt. 2, ''Die exotischen Gross-Schmetterlinge, Die afrikanischen Tagfalter'', 1925, 613 Seiten, 80 Tafeln (The Macrolepidoptera of the World 13).Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.{{PD-notice