Butterflies of
West Africa
Common Orange
Charaxes
Charaxes pleione
GODART, 1824
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
CHARAXINAE
Tribe - CHARAXINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Charaxes
pleione, male, Bobiri Forest, Ghana |
Introduction
The
genus Charaxes
contains 179 African species, 18 in the Oriental region, and a single species in
New Guinea.
They are robust, medium
to large butterflies characterised by having a rapid and very powerful flight,
stout bodies, triangular forewings, and in most species vein 4 on the hindwing
is extended into a short tail.
Charaxes
pleione and the
very similar paphianus
( which has a more falcate apex and a longer tail on the hindwing ) are a bright
fiery orange-red on the upper surface.
Both
species are distributed throughout the African forest block which extends from
Sierra Leone to Kenya.
Habitats
Charaxes pleione
occurs in lowland forest at altitudes between sea
level and about 1200m.
Lifecycle
As with other
Charaxes
species, 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, and has an oval spot on
either side of each segment. The head is adorned with a
pair of short recurved horns. It feeds on the foliage of
Acacia
( Leguminosae ).
Adult behaviour
The butterflies are usually
encountered singly or in two's and three's along sunny forest
tracks. They habitually rest on the foliage of bushes, basking with
wings held partly open.
This species has
a weaker flight than other Charaxes
species, but males nevertheless can still move quite rapidly. Females have a
more feeble, almost fluttery flight.
Although the
butterflies are sometimes attracted to carrion or dung, they are
more often found visiting sap runs or fallen fruit.
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