| Charaxes pondoensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Charaxes |
| Species: | C. pondoensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Charaxes pondoensis van Someren, 1967 [2] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Charaxes pondoensis, the Pondo emperor, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa. [3]
The wingspan is 45–55 mm in males and 48–60 mm in females.
The habitat is coastal scarp forest.
pondoensis flies year-round, with peaks October/November and March to May. [4]
Larvae feed on Milletia sutherlandi and Milletia grandis . [3] [4]
Notes on the biology of pondoensis are given by Pringle et al (1994) [5]
Charaxes ethalion and Charaxes karkloof
Charaxes. pondoensis differs from Charaxes ethalion and Charaxes karkloof in the stronger contrast between the light and dark areas on the underside, especially in males; the underside is silvery grey, not brown as in the other two species. On the underside of the hindwing in area 4 there are two fine, black lines at the end of the cell – these meet on vein 4 immediately basad of the juncture between vein 4 and vein 3. In the nominate subspecies of Charaxes karkloof these two lines are always separated and meet vein 4 on either side of this juncture. [5]
Charaxes pondoensis is a member of the large species group Charaxes etheocles
