Demon charaxes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Demon charaxes |
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| Male, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Charaxes |
| Species: |
C. etheocles
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| Binomial name | |
| Charaxes etheocles (Cramer, 1777)
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| Synonyms | |
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The Charaxes etheocles, also known as the demon charaxes, is a type of butterfly that belongs to the Nymphalidae family. You can find this butterfly in many parts of Africa, including Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Contents
Where They Live and What They Eat
Habitat
These butterflies live in warm, wet places called tropical and subtropical evergreen forests. These are forests that stay green all year round.
Food for Caterpillars
The young butterflies, called larvae or caterpillars, eat leaves from several different plants. Some of their favorite foods include Scutia myrtina, Griffonia simplicifolia, Albizia gummifera, Celtis gomphophylla, Bandeiraea, Cathormion, Dalbergia, and Entada species.
What They Look Like
The demon charaxes butterfly is known for how much its appearance can change, especially between males and females. It can be tricky to tell which male forms go with which female forms because they look so different!
Male Butterflies
Male demon charaxes butterflies usually have black wings on top. Their front wings might have blue spots or markings. These blue spots can be in different places, like near the center or closer to the edges of the wings. The back wings often have a row of small, curved spots and white dots near the edges. The underside of their wings can also vary a lot in color, from light reddish-brown to whitish-grey.
Female Butterflies
Female demon charaxes butterflies are even more varied than the males. They can look so different from each other that they sometimes seem like entirely different butterfly species! A cool thing about many female forms is that they can look very similar to other Charaxes butterflies. This is a special trick called mimicry, where one animal looks like another to protect itself.
Scientists group the many female forms into different categories based on their wing patterns. For example, some females have two rows of light spots on their front wings, while others have a curved white band. Some females are bright blue on their wings. This wide variety in appearance helps them survive in their environment.
Polymorphism: The Many Looks of the Demon Charaxes
Polymorphism means "many forms." The demon charaxes is a great example of this because its females can look very different from each other. These different looks can be grouped into several main types:
- Some females look like the females or males of other Charaxes butterflies, such as the Charaxes ameliae or Charaxes imperialis.
- Other females look very much like the male demon charaxes, with almost no white markings on their upper wings.
- Some females mimic the look of Charaxes violetta or Charaxes cithaeron butterflies.
- Another group of females looks like the female Charaxes bohemani.
- Some females resemble the females of Charaxes tiridates and Charaxes numenes.
- Finally, some females even look like the male Charaxes bohemani.
This amazing ability to have so many different appearances helps the demon charaxes survive in its environment, often by confusing predators or blending in with other species.
Subspecies
The demon charaxes has several subspecies, which are like different regional versions of the same butterfly. They are found in different parts of Africa:
- Charaxes etheocles etheocles: Found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and parts of Nigeria.
- Charaxes etheocles carpenteri: Lives in central and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, southwestern Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, northwestern Tanzania, and northern Zambia.
- Charaxes etheocles evansi: Found in the highlands of Kenya west of the Rift Valley. Scientists are still studying if this might be its own separate species.
- Charaxes etheocles ochracea: Lives in extreme southwestern Cameroon, Gabon, and Republic of the Congo. This one might also be a full species.
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Male and female
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Female C. e. etheocles, f. fulgens
Family Tree
The Charaxes etheocles butterfly belongs to a special group of butterflies called the Charaxes etheocles species group. This group includes many other butterflies that are closely related to the demon charaxes. Some of these relatives include Charaxes anticlea, Charaxes guderiana, and Charaxes ethalion.
Where in the World
This butterfly is part of the Afrotropical realm, which is a large area of the world that includes most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
 | Aurelia Browder |
 | Nannie Helen Burroughs |
 | Michelle Alexander |
