Charaxes dowsetti explained

Charaxes dowsetti is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found on the Nyika Plateau in Malawi.[1] The habitat consists of montane forests at altitudes above 2,200 meters.

The larvae feed on Agarista salicifolia.

Related species

Historical attempts to assemble a cluster of presumably related species into a "Charaxes jasius Group" have not been wholly convincing. More recent taxonomic revision,[2] 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, 26 are now considered together as The jasius Group.[2] One of the two lineages within this clade forms a robust monophyletic group of seven species sharing a common ancestor approximately 2-3 mya, i.e. during the Pliocene,[3] and are considered as the jasius subgroup.[2] The second lineage leads to 19 other species within the Jasius group, which are split into three well-populated subgroups of closely related species.

The jasius Group (26 Species):[2]

Clade 1: jasius subgroup (7 species)

Clade 2: contains the well-populated three additional subgroups (19 species) of the jasius Group: called the brutus, pollux, and eudoxus subgroups.[2]

Further exploration of the phylogenetic relationships amongst existing Charaxes taxa is required to improve clarity.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Afrotropical Butterflies: File H - Charaxinae - Tribe Charaxini . 2012-05-22 . 2013-11-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109071734/http://atbutterflies.com/downloads/nymphalidae_charaxini.doc . dead .
  2. Book: Turlin, B.. Butterflies of the World: Charaxes 1. Goecke & Evers. 2005. 3937783156. Keltern. 2–3. Bauer & Frankenbach. 22.
  3. http://www.nymphalidae.net/Aduse-Pokuetal2009.pdf/ "Out of Africa again: A phylogenetic hypothesis of the genus Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) based on five gene regions"