Imperial blue charaxes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Imperial blue charaxes |
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The Charaxes imperialis, also known as the imperial blue charaxes, is a beautiful butterfly. It belongs to the Nymphalidae family, which is a large group of butterflies often called brush-footed butterflies. This special butterfly can be found in many countries across Africa. These include Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.
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What Does the Imperial Blue Charaxes Look Like?
The imperial blue charaxes is a striking butterfly. The male butterfly has a mostly black forewing (front wing). It features a bright blue band that crosses the wing. This band starts near the back edge and goes towards the tip. It gets narrower as it goes forward and breaks into spots. Some of these spots might have tiny white dots inside them.
The hindwing (back wing) also has a blue band. This band is wider and is found near the middle of the wing. The hindwings also have blue spots near the edges and short tails, about 3 millimeters long.
The female butterfly looks a bit different. Her blue band on both wings is similar to the male's. However, on her forewing, after the blue band, she has rounded, light yellow spots. The spots near the edges of both her wings are also yellowish. This butterfly is quite rare to spot.
Different Types of Imperial Blue Charaxes (Subspecies)
Just like there can be different breeds of dogs, there are different "subspecies" of butterflies. These are slight variations of the same species that live in different areas. Here are some of the known subspecies of the imperial blue charaxes:
- C. i. imperialis: Found in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Benin.
- C. i. albipuncta: Lives in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the northern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- C. i. dargei: Found in the southern Republic of the Congo.
- C. i. graziellae: Located in north-west Tanzania, specifically in the Mumwendo Forest.
- C. i. lisomboensis: Found in north-eastern Zambia and Tanzania (Kigoma region).
- C. i. nathaliae: Lives on the island of Bioko.
- C. i. pauliani: Found in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Lualaba).
- C. i. ugandicus: Lives in Uganda and the northern Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- C. i. werneri: Found in Rwanda, specifically in the Nyungwe Forest.
Where Do They Live and What Do They Eat? (Biology)
The imperial blue charaxes butterfly lives in different types of forests. These can be lowland forests (forests in lower areas) or sub-montane forests (forests found on the lower slopes of mountains).
The caterpillars (larvae) of this butterfly likely eat plants from the Sapindaceae family. This family includes many different trees and shrubs.
One subspecies, lisomboensis, prefers to live at higher altitudes. You can find it in areas that are between 800 and 1,500 meters high.
Butterfly Family Tree (Taxonomy)
The imperial blue charaxes belongs to a group of butterflies known as the Charaxes tiridates group. Butterflies in this group share similar features and are related to each other. Scientists study these relationships to understand how different species evolved.
The original place where this butterfly was first identified by scientists was "Whydah on the Gold Coast."
