Charaxes hansali explained

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.[1]

Description

Ch. hansali Fldr. closely approaches Charaxes pelias in the markings, but has a broad light yellow discal band extending to the inner margin of the hindwing and the basal part of the upper surface is darker black-brown; the distal yellow spots in cellules 3—7 of the forewing are small and completely separated from the band; the yellow spots at the distal margin of the hindwing are streak-like and completely separated from the distal margin by the thick black marginal line; the tails are longer than in pelias ; the light-bordered spots in the basal part of the under surface have grey centres, as in pelias. Abyssinia and the adjacent parts of Somaliland. — baringana Rothsch. only differs from the type-form in the narrower discal band of the upper surface and the free red-brown spots at the distal side of the median band on the hindwing beneath. At Lake Baringo in British East Africa.[2]

Biology

The habitat consists of arid savanna.

The larvae feed on Salvadora persica, Osyris lanceolata, Colpoon compressum;[3] and Dobera glabra.Notes on the biology of hansali are provided by [4]

Subspecies

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,[9] 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.[9] 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,[10] and are considered as the jasius subgroup.[9]

The jasius Group (26 Species)

Clade 1: jasius subgroup (7 species):[9]

Clade 2: contains the well-populated three additional subgroups (19 species) of the jasius Group, called the brutus, pollux, and eudoxus subgroups.[9] Further exploration of the phylogenetic relationships amongst existing Charaxes taxa is required to improve clarity.

References

External links

[these links are non-functional since migration to BOLD-4. Update required]

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. 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.
  3. http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/charaxinae/charaxes/index.html (Nigel Venters, at Markku Savela: Lepidoptera and some other life forms)
  4. Larsen (1991) The Butterflies of Kenya and their Natural History. Oxford University Press, Oxford: i-xxii, 1-490.
  5. Riley, N.D. 1931. Two new Charaxes from southern Arabia. Entomologist 64: 279-280.
  6. Rothschild, W. 1905. Some undescribed Lepidoptera. Novitates Zoologicae 12: 78-79.
  7. van Someren, V.G.L. 1975. Revisional notes on African Charaxes, Palla and Euxanthe(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part X. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Entomology) 32 (3): 65-136.
  8. Turlin, B. 1998 [New African Charaxinae (Lepidoptera Nymphalidae).] Lambillionea 98 (2) (Tome I): 181-189.
  9. Book: Turlin, B.. Butterflies of the World: Charaxes 1. Goecke & Evers. 2005. 3937783156. Keltern. 2–3. Bauer & Frankenbach. 22.
  10. 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"