Charaxes smaragdalis

Description

Ch. smaragdalis Btlr. Both wings above from the base to the apex of the cell black with greenish or bluish reflection, then follows in the male a blue half-band, about 10 mm. in breadth, between the hindmargin and vein 2 or 3 and in each cellule from 3—7 two very widely separated spots, all blue except the distal ones in cellules 6 and 7; in the female there is in the middle a white transverse band, 7 mm. in breadth, running obliquely from the costal margin towards the hinder angle and reaching vein 1; the outer row of spots, which runs almost parallel with the distal margin in the male, is almost identical in the female. The hindwing has behind the apex of the cell a blue transverse band 12 (male)—15 (female) mm. in breadth and is black at the distal margin with blue-white submarginal spots and marginal line. The under surface is dark grey-brown, marked almost as in bohemanni. Niger to Angola and Uganda. — The blue transverse band on the upperside of the hindwing is narrower and everywhere completely separated from the blue marginal line. Sierra Leone to the Gold Coast. See External links for the original description by Arthur Gardiner Butler published in 1866 in The Proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London.

Biology

Its habitat is (lowland rainforest in the west, gallery forest in the south, and patches of lowland and montane forest in the east).

Taxonomy

Charaxes tiridates group.

The supposed clade members are:

• Charaxes tiridates
• Charaxes numenes - similar to next
• Charaxes bipunctatus - similar to last
• Charaxes violetta
• Charaxes fuscus
• Charaxes mixtus
• Charaxes bubastis
• Charaxes albimaculatus
• Charaxes barnsi
• Charaxes bohemani
• Charaxes schoutedeni
• Charaxes monteiri
• Charaxes smaragdalis
• Charaxes xiphares
• Charaxes cithaeron
• Charaxes nandina
• Charaxes imperialis
• Charaxes ameliae
• Charaxes pythodoris
• ? Charaxes overlaeti For a full list see Eric Vingerhoedt, 2013.

Subspecies

• C. s. smaragdalis (Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Congo, Zaire)
• C. s. butleri Rothschild, 1900 (Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Liberia)
• C. s. caerulea Carpenter & Jackson, 1950 (eastern Zaire, south-western Uganda)
• C. s. elgonae van Someren, 1964 (Uganda)
• C. s. gobyae Plantrou, 1988C. s. gobyae Plantrou, 1988 (south-eastern Sudan)
• C. s. homonymus Bryk, F. 1939 (south-west Kenya, north Tanzania)
• C. s. kagera van Someren, 1964 (north-western Tanzania, south-western Uganda)
• C. s. kigoma van Someren, 1964 (Tanzania)
• C. s. leopoldi Ghesquière, 1933(northern Angola, eastern Congo, south-western Zaire)
• C. s. metu van Someren, 1964 (south-western Sudan, northern Uganda)
• C. s. toro van Someren, 1964 (western Uganda)
• C. s. allardi Bouyer & Vingerhoedt, 1997

References

• Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 31
• Victor Gurney Logan Van Someren, 1964 Revisional notes on African Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part II. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology)181-235.https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2238236/#page/233/mode/1up
• Van Someren, 1969 Revisional notes on African Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part V. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology)75-166.https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/19545#page/127/mode/1up Additional notes

References

1. Butler, A.G. 1866. Monograph of the species of ''Charaxes'', a genus of diurnal Lepidoptera. ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1865: 622-639.
2. "ButterflyCorner.net: Charaxes smaragdalis (Western Blue Charaxes)".
3. 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.{{PD-notice
4. Henning, S.F. 1988 [1989]. ''The Charaxinae butterflies of Africa''. Aloe Books, Johannesburg, 1-457
5. Frankenbach, B. Turlin; [editors:] Erich Bauer, Thomas. (2007). "Butterflies of the World". Goecke & Evers.
6. "African Charaxes/Charaxes Africains Eric Vingerhoedt, 2013".
7. "Charaxes smaragdalis smaragdalis". African Butterfly Database.
8. Rothschild, W. 1900 in Rothschild, W., & Jordan, K. 1900. A monograph of ''Charaxes'' and the allied prionopterous genera. ''[[Novitates Zoologicae]]'' 7: [i-iv], 287-524.
9. "Charaxes smaragdalis butleri". African Butterfly Database.
10. Carpenter, G.D.H., and Jackson, T.H.E. 1950. New butterflies from East Africa and the Ituri Forest. ''Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London'' (B) 19: 97-108.
11. Jackson, T.H.E. 1951. Notes on some new or rare Rhopalocera from eastern Africa. Revisional notes and descriptions of some new East African Rhopalocera. ''Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London'' (B) 20: 91-105.
12. "African Butterfly Database". African Butterfly Database.
13. van Someren, V.G.L. 1964. Revisional notes on African ''Charaxes'' (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part II. ''Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History)'' (Entomology) 15:181-235.
14. Plantrou, J. 1989. In: Henning, 1989. ''The Charaxinae butterflies of Africa'' 165 (457 pp.). Johannesburg.
15. Bryk, F. 1939 in Stichel, 1939. In: Bryk, F., ''Lepidopterorum Catalogus'' 30 (91): s’Gravenhage 444 (375-542.
16. Ghesquière, J. 1933. Variations et aberrations de Lepidopteres (suite). Sur deux races nouvelles de ''Charaxes smaragdalis'' Btlr. (Nymph.). ''[[List of entomology Journals. Lambillionea]]'' 33: 3-6.
17. Bouyer & Vingerhoedt, E. 1997. Description d’une nouvelle sous-espece de ''Charaxes smaragdalis'' Butler, 1865 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). ''Entomologia Africana '' 2 (2): 32-33, 36-39.