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protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins
2007, and must not be published
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Butterflies of
West Africa
Green Charaxes
Charaxes eupale
DRURY, 1773
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
CHARAXINAE
Tribe - CHARAXINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian
Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part
or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from
Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
Website designed, produced and owned by
Adrian Hoskins
Charaxes
eupale, male, Kakamega Forest, western Kenya
Introduction
The Charaxinae are a
group of robust, medium to large Nymphalids characterised by having a rapid and
very powerful flight, stout bodies, triangular forewings, and a habit of feeding
at dung and carrion.
They
are represented in the neotropics by genera including
Consul,
Memphis,
Prepona
and Agrias;
in the Oriental and Australian regions by
Polyura
and Charaxes,
and in Africa by Charaxes,
Palla
and Euxanthe.
The
genus Charaxes
contains 179 African species, one of which,
C. jasius,
extends it's range as far north as the Mediterranean coast of Europe. Most are
forest-dwellers, but a few species are adapted to savannah habitats.
Charaxes
eupale, and the very
similar species subornatus,
occur from Senegal through the African forest zone to western Kenya and
Tanzania. The green colouration of their wings, legs, antennae and proboscises
are produced by pigments - in most other green butterflies these colours are produced
structurally by light refracting from ridges on the surface of the scales, or
from a lattice within them.
Habitats
This species occurs in lowland tropical rainforest at altitudes between sea
level and about 800m.
Lifecycle
The egg is barrel-shaped and carries a series of ridges and
keels around the upper part. It is laid singly on leaves of the foodplant.
The
caterpillar when fully grown is smooth-skinned, green, marked with a pair of
ocelli half way along the back, and has a large head adorned with a
pair of recurved horns. It feeds on the foliage of
Albizia
( Leguminosae ) and Scutia
( Rhamnaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Both sexes spend much of their lives high in the forest canopy, but males are regularly encountered at ground level. They are usually seen singly, but I have heard reports of as many as 30 attending monkey droppings on a forest track. More commonly they are found as singletons amidst mixed aggregations with other Charaxes species, imbibing fluids from carrion, mammalian dung, bird droppings or urine-soaked soil. Both sexes also feed at sap runs on trees, and at rotting fruit, but neither nectar at flowers.
The butterflies have serrated leading edges to the forewings, which are used to jostle and "elbow" other butterflies when feeding at carrion or dung. The serrations also act to strengthen the wings, which in combination with the powerful thoracic muscles provide the means to propel the butterflies with great speed and agility.
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