Charaxes penricei

Scarce Savanna Charaxes
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Charaxes
Species: C. penricei
Binomial name
Charaxes penricei
Rothschild, 1900[1]
Synonyms
  • Charaxes peculiaris Lathy, 1906
  • Charaxes penricei ab. flavus Lathy, 1925
  • Charaxes penricei penricei ab. paraperpullus White, 1978
  • Charaxes penricei f. dealbata Joicey and Talbot, 1922
  • Charaxes penricei tanganyikae f. caerulescens van Someren, 1969

The Scarce Savanna Charaxes (Charaxes penricei) is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It is found in the Republic of Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe.[2] The habitat consists of savanna, especially Brachystegia woodland.

The larvae feed on Entada species and Securidaca longipedunculata.

Description

Original description, for terms see Novitates Zoologicae Volume 5:545-601

Male Body as in Ch. etesipe.Wings, upperside, bluish black, somewhat metallic green towards base.Forewing : markings similar in position to those of Ch. etesipe cacuthis, all white, the posterior patches slightly edged with blue, postdiscal spots SC4-R3 larger than in cacuthis, patch M2 SM2 6 mm. wide, more proximal than in cacuthis, being 9 mm. distant from end of SM2 Hindwing : a band across the wing as in Ch. etesipe, but the band is blue for the greater part, the white colour being restricted to spots which correspond to the white spots of the underside, externally the band is incised upon the veins, point of origin of M1 about in middle of band ; median bar C-SC2 and bar D appear as black lines within the band ; submarginal and admarginal spots essentially as in etesipe etesipe.

Underside nearly as in etesipe male, but the white markings larger and purer in colour, the red bars brighter. Forewing : black discal bars R3-SM2 placed as in etesipe female, being much more proximal than in etesipe male, discal bar M2-SM2 not clearly separated from the respective median one, white postdiscal interspace M2-SM2 3.5 mm. broad at M", and 5 mm. at SM2, black postdiscal patch M2-SM2 larger than in etesipe male. Hindwing: rufous red postdiscal spots C-R2 very conspicuous, the following postdiscal interspaces also more or less rufous red, median and submedian bars M2-(SM1) closer together than in etesipe.

Length of forewing: male, 38 mm. Genital armature not essentially different from that of Ch. etesipe. Hab. Quebe R., Angola (Penrice), 1 male.

This curious species resembles much more the female of Ch. etesipe than the male on the upperside of the hindwing, while on the forewing the pattern recalls that of Ch. etesipe cacuthis from Madagascar.

Subspecies

Taxonomy

Charaxes etesipe is a member of the species group Charaxes etesipe

The clade members are:

References

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