''Charaxes berkeleyi'' is a
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...
in the family
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a re ...
. It is found in
Kenya
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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and
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
.
[Afrotropical Butterflies: File H - Charaxinae - Tribe Charaxini]
/ref>
Description
Similar, externally, to ''Charaxes aubyni
''Charaxes aubyni'' is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
The habitat consists of montane and semi-montane forests.
The larvae feed on ''Albizia gummifera'', ''Albizia adianthifolia'' an ...
'' but the genitalia are distinctive. Compared to ''Charaxes aubyni'' the male forewing has bluer marginal spots are and the underside is darker; in the female the forewing has two rows of pale yellow to ochreous spots and a white, blue-bordered median band which is narrower than in ''Charaxes aubyni'' There are two female forms: a common form with brownish underside and yellowish spots on the upperside and form ''ngonga'' which has a whitish median band on upperside and a silvery grey underside with strongly contrasted black markings.
Biology
The habitat consists of montane and riverine forests.
The larvae feed on '' Albizia gummifera'', ''Scutia myrtina
''Scutia myrtina'' is a species of plant in the family Rhamnaceae. It is commonly known as cat-thorn.
Description
''Scutia myrtina'' is a variable plant that may grow as a shrub or tree of 2-10 m tall with trunk diameter to 30 cm or ...
'', '' Ochna holstii'' and '' Ochna insculpta''.
Taxonomy
''Charaxes berkeleyi'' is a member of the large species group ''Charaxes etheocles''
Subspecies
*''Charaxes berkeleyi berkeleyi'' (central and southern Kenya, northern Tanzania)
*''Charaxes berkeleyi marci'' Congdon & Collins, 1998 (northern Tanzania)
*''Charaxes berkeleyi masaba'' van Someren, 1969[Van Someren, V.G.L. 1969. Revisional notes on African ''Charaxes'' (Lepidoptera:
Nymphalidae). Part V. ''Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Entomology) 23: 75-166.] (Kenya: west to the area ranging from Kaptagat to the eastern slopes of Mount Elgon)
References
*Victor Gurney Logan Van Someren
Victor Gurney Logan Van Someren (1886 in Melbourne – 24 July 1976) was a zoologist and entomologist.
Van Someren was born in Australia. He attended George Watson's College and studied zoology at University of Edinburgh. He was also a dentis ...
, 1966 Revisional notes on African ''Charaxes'' (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part III. ''Bulletin of the British Museum'' (Natural History) (Entomology)45-10
*Van Someren, 1969 Revisional notes on African ''Charaxes'' (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part V. ''Bulletin of the British Museum'' (Natural History) (Entomology)75-16
Additional notes
External links
African Charaxes/ Charaxes Africains Eric Vingerhoedt
berkeleyi species page and images
''Charaxes berkleyi'' images
at ''Charaxes'' page Consortium for the Barcode of Life
The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...
subspecies and forms
African Butterfly Database
Range map via search
Butterflies described in 1957
berkeleyi
{{Charaxinae-stub