Charaxes brutus (White Barred Charaxes )

Charaxes brutus, also called White Barred Charaxes is a simple butterfly from Afrotropic ecozone (Africa). The first description was in 1779 by Cramer. With a wingspan of 8.0 – 10.0 cm the Withe Barred Charaxes is a small member of the family NYMPHALIDAE. The butterfly is black with a broad white band. Hind wings are ridged and have two tails.
Photos for easy identification
These are nice photos of Charaxes brutus (White Barred Charaxes). Charaxes brutus is a member of the family NYMPHALIDAE from Afrotropic ecozone (Africa).
Description
The forewings are black. The margin is ridged. There is a chain of big white spots. In back the white spots fusion to a broad white band.
The underside is very colourful. Some areas are fawn, grey and auburn. There is a white band crossing the wing. There are many black spots, which have a white border.
The hind wings are black and have two tails. The margin is ridged. There is a broad white band. In back there are some little blue spots.
The underside is very colourful. Some areas are fawn, grey and auburn. The white band from upside is also there. There are many black spots, which have a white border.
The body is brown, but the upside is black.
Sex differences:
Macro photos
Here you can see some macro photos of Charaxes brutus.
Distribution
Larval food / Foodplants
Blighia unifugata, Ekebergia capensis , Entandrophagma delevoi, Trichelia dregeana
General information
The first description of this butterfly was in 1779 by Cramer. There are four subspecies.
- Charaxes brutus alcyone [Stoneham, 1943]
- Charaxes brutus angustus [Rothschild, 1900]
- Charaxes brutus natalensis [Staudinger & Schatz, 1886]
- Charaxes brutus roberti [Turlin, 1987]
Protection provisions / Red List
- CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):
-no entry- (as at 23.06.2005) - 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/)
Similar and closely-related species
Charaxes jasius [Linnaeus 1767] (Two-tailed Pasha, Erdbeerbaumfalter, La Nymphale de l´Arbousier)
Scientific name
Charaxes brutus Cramer 1779
Synonym
White Barred Charaxes
Classification / Taxonomy / Family tree
- Kingdom: ANIMALIA
- Phylum: ARTHROPODA
- Class: INSECTA
- Order: LEPIDOPTERA
- Suborder: DITRYSIA
- Superfamily: PAPILIONOIDEA
- Family: NYMPHALIDAE
- Subfamilie: CHARAXINAE
- Tribe: CHARAXINI
- Genus: CHARAXES
- Specific name: BRUTUS