Charaxes andara

Charaxes andara is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It is found in eastern and southern Madagascar,^[2] where it is found in forests. Very similar to Charaxes brutus, of which it has been considered a subspecies.

Description

Male

Edges of abdominal segments above sometimes slightly grey. Wings above with a violet tint; band conspicuously edged with pale blue from M2 of forewing to (SM1) of hindwing. Forewing; band 6 to 8 mm. broad before SM2 (inclusive of blue border), patch M1 -M2 3 to 4 mm. wide, spot R2-R3 generally elongate, narrow, sometimes prolonged to bar D, but its proximal portion then shaded with brown, spot R1-R2 often also elongate, spots SC4-R1 mostly bluish, small, often only vestigial; marginal spots white as a rule, often slightly orange proximally, in one specimen (in Mr. Grose-Smith's collection) all orange and rather larger than usually. Hindwing: two submarginal dots M2-SM2, blue; admarginal bluish creamy white line seldom continuous, mostly very widely interrupted between veins, there remaining only triangular spots at the ends of the veins, these spots extending into tails, anal admarginal spot, however, linear and transverse, bluish olive; discal band stopping at (SM1).

Underside rufous red from base to discal band, bars without grey centres. Forewing: cell-bar 3 somewhat rounded, 4 rather slender, as is bar D; median bars SC3-R2 also slender, bars SC3-R2 each very much longer than broad (a part of white border) discal bars SC4-R1 dark olive; outer area of wing from white band to margin tawny ochraceous; black postdiscal patches R1-M! rather smaller than in the continental forms, less pointed. Hindwing: basal costal bar not touching white costal edge, often rounded, almost circular, white band posteriorly as well as anteriorly with brown spots or vestiges of such; interspace between white discal band and black postdiscal bars cinnamon rufous, as a rule darker than basal area; postdiscal bars C-M2 transverse, not or slightly curved, rather thin, not dilated in middle, edged olive distally; submarginal interspace chestnut, seldom rufous chestnut, much wider than in the other forms, bar R1-R2 5 mm. distant from submarginal bar, much shaded with white distally, interspaces M1-SM2 olive, with blue and white submarginal dots ; submarginal bars blackish olive, transverse,linear ; wing more heavily dentate than in the continental forms [of C.brutus], tail R3 7 to 8 mm.long, tail M1 3 to 5 mm., tail M2 6 and 1/2 to 7 and 1/2 mm.

Female

Wings above less bluish than in male. Forewing: costal margin more or less tawny; band pale orange, white from M2 backwards, posteriorly edged with pale blue at both sides, but especially proximally, 10 mm. broad at SM2, patch R3 -M1 7 mm. long, oblique proximally, patch R2-R3 extended to bar D, patch R1-R2 about twice as long as broad, with two discal spots in front, besides the two rounded postdiscal spots SC1-R1, discal spot SC5-R1 rather larger, produced distad along R1 and mostly joined to the postdiscal spot, discal spot SC4=SC5 linear, an orange streak also in front of SC4; marginal spots pale orange. Hindwing: band broadly bordered with bluish white proximally, basal half of abdominal fold also milky white, pale blue distal border of band gradually narrowing costad; blue submarginal dots M2-SM2 heavy, fused together as a rule, dot M1-M2 often present ; admarginal line orange between, creamy buff or bluish at veins, nearly continuous, or interrupted at the veins, often obsolete from C to R1, anal portion as in male but wider.

Underside: as in male, but submarginal area of hindwing more olive and white, the chestnut scaling very much reduced, sometimes almost entirely replaced by olive and white; tails and teeth as in male, rather broader at base and longer.

Length of forewing: male, 34–41 mm. female, 42–46 mm.

Habitat: Madagascar, apparently all over the island in suitable localities; a forest insect.

For terms see Novitates Zoologicae, volume 5:545-601 )

Taxonomy

The members of the Charaxes jasius group are:

• Charaxes jasius
• Charaxes pelias – smaller than jasius
• Charaxes hansali
• Charaxes castor
• Charaxes brutus – dark with white bands
• Charaxes andara – Madagascar
• Charaxes ansorgei
• Charaxes phoebus
• Charaxes pollux
• Charaxes druceanus
• Charaxes phraortes – Madagascar, close to next
• Charaxes andranodorus – close to last
• Charaxes eudoxus
• Charaxes richelmanni

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charaxes andara.

Wikispecies has information related to: Charaxes andara

• 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

• Butterfly corner Images from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
• Charaxes andara images at Consortium for the Barcode of Life
• African Butterfly Database Range map via search