Charaxes varanes

The upperside of the body and roughly the inner half of the wings is white, sharply delineated on the forewings parallel to the length of the body, and diffusely delineated parallel to the margin of the hindwing. Outside the white area of the upperside, the wings are orange to brown, with a pattern of lighter and darker flecks. The underside of the body and wings mimic a dead leaf. A slightly diffuse but clear, sepia brown straight line divides the under wing in a zone next to the body and a zone near the wings' edges. The inner zone is mostly light beige with three parallel, curved, interrupted, grey-brown wavy lines, circling the wings' attachment to the body. A triangle based on the front of the forewing and bordering the division line has the dark grayish-brown color of the outer zone. The outer zone of the underside of the hindwing has a line of clear eyespots while the forewing has vaguer markings. The outer spur on the hindwing is well developed. Male and female are alike.{{cite book|first= David|last= Penney|year=2009|title= Field Guide to Butterflies of the Gambia, West Africa|publisher= Siri Scientific Press|isbn= 978-0955863622|pages= 80}} A full description is given by Rothschild, W and Jordan, K.Rothschild, W. and Jordan, K. (1900). Novitates Zoologicae 7:287-524. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3267025/#page/295/mode/1up] page 354; for terms see Volume 5:545-601 [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/22556#page/9/mode/1up]

The pearl emperor is a large, actively, fast and high-flying butterfly. It is the most common Charaxes in the Gambia, where it is present throughout the year in various habitats. They are usually observed as single individuals flying fast and high. They mostly rest with closed wings, although males may sit high with slightly opened wings.

Charaxes varanes group. Type species of subgenus Stonehamia (Hadrodontes)

The group members are:

• Charaxes varanes
• Charaxes fulvescens very similar to varanes
• Charaxes acuminatus very pointed forewing
• Charaxes balfouri
• Charaxes analava
• Charaxes nicati
• Charaxes bertrami perhaps subspecies of varanes
• Charaxes saperanus
• Charaxes defulvata

File:Charaxes varanes vologeses (Mâle).jpg

Listed alphabetically:

• C. v. bertrami Riley, 1931Riley, N.D. 1931. Two new Charaxes from southern Arabia. Entomologist 64: 279-280. – (Oman, eastern Yemen)
• C. v. torbeni Turlin, 1999Turlin, B. 1999. Observations sur les especes insulaires Africaines de la sous-famille des Charaxinae Lambillionea 99 (2): 171-182. – (Yemen) Perhaps full species
• C. v. varanes (Cramer, 1764) – (southern Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini)
• C. v. vologeses (Mabille, 1876) Mabille, P. 1877– [La description de trois especes nouvelles de lepidopteres de Madagascar]. Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France (5) 7: 37-39. (Africa)

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• Victor Gurney Logan Van Someren (1974). Revisional notes on African Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part IX. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Entomology). 29(8):415-487. [https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/127336#page/511/mode/1up]

• [http://projects.bebif.be/enbi/albertinerift/butterfly/taxoninfo?id=707 Images of C.varanes vologeses] Royal Museum for Central Africa (Albertine Rift Project)
• [http://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=55185 Charaxes varanes images] at BOLD
• [http://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=203054 Charaxes varanes varanes images] at BOLD
• [http://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=192840 Charaxes varanes vologeses images ] at BOLD
• [http://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=192838 Charaxes varanes bertrami images] at BOLD
• [http://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=192839 Charaxes varanes torbeni images] at BOLD
• [http://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=203046 Charaxes torbeni images] at BOLD
• [http://www.barcodinglife.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=203047 Charaxes bertrami images] at BOLD

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varanes

Category:Butterflies described in 1764

Category:Taxa named by Pieter Cramer

Category:Butterflies of Africa