CHARAXES CITHAERON

Charaxes cithaeron (Charaxes cithaeron)

Phylum arthropoda
Class — insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family — nymphalidae

Genus – charaxes

Appearance

The older caterpillars are green covered with short pimples.

The wingspan is 70–80 mm in males and 85–95 mm in females. The forewings and hindwings of the males are black and blue-white, the wings of the females are brown and white. There is a number of blue spots on the hindwings. The underside of the wings is beige-brown with a faint pattern of black and white lines and ochreous spots. The hind wings have two small tails.

Habitat

It is found in south-east Africa.

Behavior

Charaxes cithaeron demonstrates daily activity. Flight period is year-round.

Diet

Larvae feed on Trema orientalis, Albizia adianthifolia, Celtis africana, Cola natalensis, Chaerachme aristata, Bafia racemosa, Afzelia quanzensis, Milletia sutherlandi, Maytenus senegalensis, and Craibia brevecaudatus.

The adults of this species feed on fermenting fruit.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. After mating the females lays the eggs singly on the upperside of the leaves of the hostplant. The eggs are yellow. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums of 6-8 pieces. In the terrarium, you need to place a branch of a forage plant. Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days. The temperature is 22-26 oC. The humidity is 60-70%. The pupa is bright green. Butterflies live for about 10 days.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed butterflies an overripe banana or with honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.

 

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