Butterflies of
Africa
Common Commander
Euryphura chalcis
FELDER & FELDER, 1860
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
LIMENITIDINAE
Tribe - ADOLIADINI
Euryphura chalcis,
male, Bunso, Ghana
Introduction
There
are between 10-15 species in the genus Euryphura -
the exact number is undetermined due to the uncertain status of
E. chalcis, which will probably at some future date
be split into 5 or 6 individual species. The genus is entirely Afrotropical in
distribution.
Euryphura
chalcis ( also known by the names ochracea,
doralise, aurantiaca,
conformis, claudianus,
albimargo, oliva and
vansomeri, all of which may turn out to be full
species ) is found throughout the forest zone of sub-Saharan Africa, from
Senegal to western Kenya and n.w. Zambia. It is likely however that each of the
"forms" listed above will be found to have a restricted range.
Euryphura chalcis,
male, Bunso, Ghana
Habitats
This is a common species found in secondary
and primary rainforest at altitudes between sea level and about 1000m. It can
also be found along riparian edges in savannah / woodland mosaics, and in
arboreta, parks and suburban gardens.
Lifecycle
The
larval foodplants include Hugonia ( Linaceae ),
Ventilago ( Rhamnaceae ),
Pterocarpus, Cassia,
Dalbergia ( Fabaceae ), Celtis ( Ulmaceae ),
and Hippocratea ( Celastraceae ).
Adult behaviour
In the morning both sexes visit
forest hilltops where courtship and copulation take place,
although on the plains this usually happens instead along sunlit
logging roads or in forest clearings. In both cases the males
perch on tree foliage, form which they fly down to intercept
passing females.
Both sexes commonly imbibe
mineralised moisture from forest roads. Both sexes also visit
rotting fruit on the forest floor.
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