Charaxes varanes (Pearl Charaxes)

Charaxes varanes, also called Pearl Charaxes is a nice butterfly from Afrotropic ecozone (Africa). The first description was in 1764 by Cramer. The wingspan is about 8.0 – 10.0 cm. The Pearl Charaxes is a member of the family NYMPHALIDAE. The butterfly is white and brown. The hind wings have one tail.

Photos for easy identification

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; from assortment of Dr. Hildegard Winkler specialty shop of entomology (see links)

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; from assortment of Dr. Hildegard Winkler specialty shop of entomology (see links)

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; from assortment of Dr. Hildegard Winkler specialty shop of entomology (see links)

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; from assortment of Dr. Hildegard Winkler specialty shop of entomology (see links)

These are nice photos of Charaxes varanes (Perlen Charaxes). Charaxes varanes is a member of the family NYMPHALIDAE from Afrotropic ecozone (Africa).

Description

The fore wings are two-coloured. The inner part of the wing is white. The rest of wing is brown and contains many orange spots.
The underside is marbled brown and also marbled yellow. In the middle of wing there is a dark line. Next to the margin there is a chain of dark spots.

The hind wings two-coloured. The inner part of the wing is white. The rest of wing is brown. At the margin there is a chain of little black spots. The hind wings have one tail.
The underside is nearly a copy of the underside of fore wings. Next to the margin there is a chain of dark eyes.

The body is white but the underside is yellow.

Sex differences: ---

Distribution

The Pearl Charaxes (Charaxes varanes) is a butterfly of the Afrotropic ecozone (Africa). The distribution enfolded Namibia Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa Republic.

This world map shows the ecozones in which this butterfly is domestic.

Larval food

Sapindaceae:

Allophylus glaucescens
Allophylus macrobotrys
Allophylus macrostachys
Allophylus melanocarpa
Allophylus melanocarpus
Allophylus natalensis
Allophylus spicatus
Allophylus subcoriaceus
Schmidelia africana

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1764 by Cramer. There are only two subspecies.

Charaxes varanes bertrami [Riley, 1931]
Charaxes varanes vologeses [Mabille, 1876]

Protection provisions / Red List

CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):

-no entry- (as at 14.06.2006)
EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora

-no entry- (as at 19.08.2005)
IUCN Red List of threatened species:

-no entry- (as at 2004) (see: www. redlist.org/)