Russian
English
CHARAXES ETESIPE(Charaxes etesipe)
Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —nymphalidae
Genus –charaxes
Appearance
The older caterpillars are green, covered with short pimples.
The wingspan is 35–38 millimeters (1.4–1.5 in) for male. The females are larger, reaching 37–45 millimeters (1.5–1.8 in).
The uppersides of the forewings are blackish blue with a greenish tint. The outer margin are generally denticulate (tooth like), with a series of white discal spots. In the hindwings of both sexes there are short tails and a complete series of large pale blue patches. The undersides of the wings are variegated with cream and drab colors.
Habitat
This species can be found in tropical east and West Africa and in Madagascar.
Behavior
It demonstrates daily activity.Adults are on wing from August to October and from March to June. There are two generations per year.
Diet
The larvae of subspecies tavetensis feed on Afzelia quanzensis, Dalbergia nitidula, Securidaca longipeduncularis and Margaritaria discoidea. Other subspecies have been recorded on Entada and Afzelia quanzensis.
The butterflies feed on overripe tree fruits and tree sap.
Reproduction
For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs one at a time on the top of the leaves of the forage plant.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 22-26oC. The humidity is 70-80%. The pupa is bright green with bright yellow spots. Butterflies live for about 14 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.
