Charaxes achaemenes

Bushveld emperor
Male upper and underside
Female upperside
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Charaxes
Species:	C. achaemenes
Binomial name
Charaxes achaemenes C. & R. Felder, 1867 [1]
Synonyms
Charaxes achaemenes fasciatusSuffert, 1904 Charaxes achaemenes achaemenes ab. glaucomaculataCordeiro, 1990 Charaxes achaemenes f. monticolaJoicey and Talbot, 1925 Charaxes jocasteButler, 1869 Charaxes achaemenes ab. minorStorace, 1948 Charaxes achaemenes f. erythraeaStorace, 1948

Charaxes achaemenes, the bushveld emperor or bush charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found across Africa. ^[2]

Description

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The wingspan is 55–60 millimetres (2.2–2.4 in) in males and 60–70 millimetres (2.4–2.8 in) in females.

The wings in the male above black, at the base black-grey with a common white transverse band, which is placed on the forewing about the middle, on the hindwing somewhat before the middle, hence in the latter not covering the base of cellule 3; the median band forms on the forewing single quadrate spots in cellules la—3 and 7 and two widely separated spots in each cellule from 4 to 6; on the hindwing it terminates at vein 2. The forewing has small, rounded spots at the ends of the interneural folds and the hindwing whitish marginal streaks, more or less tinged with blue, in cellules lc-5 and similar submarginal streaks in cellules lc—7.

The under surface is marked almost as in etesipe, but has a lighter ground-colour, finer transverse streaks and a rather sharply defined whitish median band. The female differs in having the basal part of the upper surface yellow-brown and the median band light orange-yellow; the marginal spots on the upperside of the forewing are larger, streak-like and red-yellow, the marginal and submarginal spots of the hindwing are larger and the marginal spots distinct in cellules 6 and 7 also, but there red-yellow.

Above the female strongly recalls Ch. saturnus and the female of Ch. guderiana, but these species are quite differently marked beneath. ab. fasciatus Suff, only differs in the much larger submarginal spots on the upperside of the hindwing. Mhonda in German East Africa. ^[3]

A full description is given by Walter Rothschild and Karl Jordan (1900). Novitates Zoologicae Volume 7:287-524. page 460-463 (for terms see Novitates Zoologicae Volume 5:545-601 ) The female is similar to both sexes of Charaxes saturnus and to the female of Charaxes guderiana .

Habitat in Kenya

Biology

Flight period is year-round. ^[4] The habitat is dry savanna and deciduous woodland.

Larvae feed on Pterocarpus rotundifolius , Pterocarpus angolensis , Xanthocercis zambesiaca , Dalbergia boehmii , Piliostigma thonningii , Pterocarpus erinaceus , Dalbergia nitidula , and Brachystegia spiciformis . ^{[2] [4]} Notes on the biology of achaemenes are gien by Pringle et al (1994), Larsen, T.B. (1991), Larsen, T.B. (2005) and Kielland, J. (1990). ^[5] . ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically: ^[2]

• C. a. achaemenesC. & R. Felder, 1867 (eastern Kenya, Tanzania, south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, south-eastern Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini)
• C. a. atlanticavan Someren, 1970 ^[9] (Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo)
• C. a. monticolaJoicey & Talbot, 1925 ^[10] (northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, Central African Republic, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ituri, western Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya: west of the Rift Valley)

Taxonomy

Charaxes achaemenes is a member of the species group Charaxes etesipe

The clade members are

• Charaxes etesipe nominate
• Charaxes penricei
• Charaxes achaemenes
• Charaxes paradoxa
• Charaxes cacuthis
• Charaxes bwete
• Charaxes cristalensis

See also

• List of national parks in Africa
• Protected areas of Cameroon
• Natural history of Africa

References

1. Felder, C., and Felder, R. [1865-1867] Reise der Osterreichischen Fregatte Novara vi, 1- 549. [1865: 1-136; 1865: 137-378; 1867: 379-549]
2. Charaxes achaemenes at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
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. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
4. Woodhall, Steve (2005). Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN   978-1-86872-724-7.
5. Pringle et al , 1994. Pennington’s Butterflies of Southern Africa, 2nd edition
6. Larsen, T.B. 1991The Butterflies of Kenya and their Natural History. Oxford University Press, Oxford: i-xxii, 1-490.
7. Kielland, J. 1990. Butterflies of Tanzania. Hill House, Melbourne and London: 1-363.
8. Larsen, T.B. 2005 Butterflies of West Africa. Apollo Books, Svendborg, Denmark: 1-595 (text) & 1-270 (plates).
9. Van Someren 1970. Revisional notes on African Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part VI. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology) 25:197-250 Full text and plate
10. Joicey, J.J., & Talbot, G. 1925. Notes on some Lepidoptera, with descriptions of new forms.Annals and Magazine of Natural History (9) 16: 633-653.

• Victor Gurney Logan Van Someren (1970). Revisional notes on African Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part VI. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology)197-250.

External links

• Images of C. achaemenes achaemenes Royal Museum for Central Africa (Albertine Rift Project)
• Images of C. achaemenes monticola Royal Museum for Central Africa (Albertine Rift Project)
• Charaxes achaemenes images at Charaxes page Consortium for the Barcode of Life subspecies and forms
• African Butterfly Database Range map via search