Charaxes castor | |
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Giant emperor, Male | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Nymphalidae |
Genus: | Charaxes |
Species: | C. castor |
Binomial name | |
Charaxes castor | |
Synonyms | |
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Charaxes castor, the giant emperor or giant charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found throughout the Afrotropical realm below the Sahel. [3]
The flight period is year-round but more common in late summer to autumn. [4]
The wingspan is 75–85 mm in males and 85–105 mm in females. The ground-colour of the upper surface deep black, as in Charaxes brutus ; the median band is light ochre-yellow, on the forewing anteriorly double, being composed in cellules 2—6 of two more or less completely separated spots, on the hindwing short and triangular, reaching at most to vein 3. On the under surface the white-bordered markings of the basal area are deep black. — castor Cr. has a light orange-yellow median band and the light marginal spots of the forewing are absent or very small; the ground-colour of the under surface is in the basal part red-brown or pure black (= ab. godarti Auriv.). Senegambia to the Congo and Uganda. — flavifasciatus Btlr. is the East African race, which occurs from Delagoa Bay and Nyassaland to Somaliland and only differs in the lighter median band and the more distinct marginal spots on the upperside of the forewing; in this form also the ground-colour in the basal part of the under surface is sometimes red-brown, sometimes pure black (= ab. reimeri Rothsch.). — comoranus Rothsch. agrees with the West African form as regards the colour of the discal band on the upper surface, but differs in the transverse band which accompanies the white discal band of the upper surface on its distal side; this is yellow on the forewing and red-brown on the hindwing and — unlike that of all the continental forms — broken up into spots. Island of Great Comoro. [5]
A full description is given by Walter Rothschild and Karl Jordan, 1900 Novitates Zoologicae Volume 7:287-524. page 436 et seq. (for terms see Novitates Zoologicae Volume 5:545-601 )
Life-sized colour plates and description of the larval and pupal stages of C. castor and additional related species, illustrated by Dr. V. G. L. van Someren, are readily available. [6]
The habitat is forest and savanna. Notes on the biology of castor are given by Pringle et al (1994), Larsen, T.B. (1991), Larsen, T.B. (2005) and Kielland, J. (1990), [7] [8] [9] [10]
Larvae feed on Bridelia micrantha , Afzelia quanzensis , Tragia spp., Gymnosporia spp., Maytenus senegalensis , Schotia brachypetala , Bridelia micrantha and Cassia fistula . [3] [4]
Listed alphabetically. [3]
Historical attempts to assemble a cluster of presumably related species into a "Charaxes jasius Group" have not been wholly convincing. More recent taxonomic revision, [14] corroborated by phylogenetic research, allow a more rational grouping congruent with cladistic relationships. Within a well-populated clade of 27 related species sharing a common ancestor approximately 16 mya during the Miocene, [15] 26 are now considered together as The jasius Group. [14] One of the two lineages forms a robust clade of seven species sharing a common ancestor approximately 2-3 mya, i.e. during the Pliocene, [15] and are considered as the jasius subgroup. [14]
The jasius Group (26 Species)
Clade 1: jasius subgroup (7 species): [14]
Clade 2: contains the well-populated three additional subgroups (19 species) of the jasius Group, called the brutus, pollux, and eudoxus subgroups. [14] Further exploration of the phylogenetic relationships amongst existing Charaxes taxa is required to improve clarity.
Charaxes brutus, the white-barred emperor or white-barred Charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Africa.
Charaxes candiope, the green-veined emperor or green-veined charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is common in sub-Saharan Africa.
Charaxes pelias, the protea emperor or protea charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, and is endemic to the Cape Provinces in South Africa.
Charaxes druceanus, the silver-barred emperor or silver-barred charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found throughout tropical Africa.
Charaxes guderiana, the blue-spangled emperor, Guderian's charaxes or blue-spangled charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Africa.
Charaxes achaemenes, the bushveld emperor or bush charaxes, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found across Africa.
Charaxes etesipe, the savannah charaxes or scarce forest emperor, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Charaxes fulvescens, the forest pearl charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.
Charaxes hansali, the cream-banded charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman.
Charaxes junius is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Ethiopia and Sudan. The habitat consists of forests and woodland savanna.
Charaxes ansorgei is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. The habitat consists of montane forest on altitudes between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. The larvae feed on Bersama abyssinica abyssinica, Bersama abyssinica englerana and Bersama paullinoides.It was once considered to be a very rare species but it is relatively common in dense and inaccessible montane forests
Charaxes pollux, the black-bordered charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.
Charaxes phraortes is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in north-eastern Madagascar. The habitat consists of wet coastal forests.
Charaxes andranodorus is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on Madagascar.
Charaxes eudoxus, the Eudoxus charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon and Zambia.
Charaxes penricei, the scarce savanna charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Charaxes eupale, the common green charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi.
Charaxes etheocles, the demon charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.
Charaxes pleione, the common orange charaxes, or square-winged red charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Charaxes epijasius, the cream-bordered charaxes or Sahel charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It flies through most of the Savannah of the Afrotropical realm except southern Africa.