Charaxes aristogiton
Encyclopedia
The Scarce Tawny Rajah (Charaxes aristogiton) is a butterfly
species
found in India
that belongs to the Rajahs and Nawabs group, that is, the Charaxinae
group of the Brush-footed butterflies
family.
closely. Male differs with that species with the upperside having the postdiscal transverse band on the forewing black throughout, much more heavily marked, and above vein 4 fused with the black terminal band, traversed by a sub-terminal band of lunules o£ the tawny ground-colour, which decrease in size towards the costal margin. On the hind wing the sub-terminal black spots often form a continuous band, decreasing in width posteriorly and separated only by the fulvous veins; in many specimens, however, the posterior spots are separate, but the apical two spots are always fused together and each bears outwardly a more or less conspicuous white spot. On the Underside, the ground-colour differs from that in C. marmax in being a purplish tawny with no trace of yellow, but suffused with an iridescent steel-blue tint; the usual slaty-black transverse highly sinuous lines are present; a series of subterminal obscure dark spots anteriorly on the fore wing; on the hind wing the oblique postdiscal slaty-black lunular line better defined anteriorly than in C. marmax.
Females differ on the upperside with the postdiscal transverse lunular band on the fore wing more heavily marked throughout and much broader anteriorly than in C. marmax and on the underside the ground-colour is purplish tawny as in the male but much paler, the basal half of both fore and hind wing a shade darker than the terminal half, the oblique postdiscal slate-black band on the hind wing broad and outwardly diffuse.
Varieties desa and adamsi, Moore, from Southern Burma differ slightly in the width and in the direction ot the inner edge of the black terminal band, characters which are very variable even in the forms from Sikkim.
Wing expanse of 94-114 mm.
Found in north-eastern India (Sikkim
, Assam
, Bhutan
) and into Burma.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
found in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
that belongs to the Rajahs and Nawabs group, that is, the Charaxinae
Charaxinae
Charaxinae, the leafwings, is a nymphalid subfamily of butterflies that includes about 400 species, inhabiting mainly the tropics, although some species extend into temperate regions in North America, Europe, China and southern Australia. There are significant variations between the species...
group of the Brush-footed butterflies
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
family.
Description
Resembles Charaxes marmaxCharaxes marmax
The Yellow Rajah is a butterfly found in India that belongs to the Rajahs and Nawabs group, that is, the Charaxinae group of the Brush-footed butterflies family.-Description:...
closely. Male differs with that species with the upperside having the postdiscal transverse band on the forewing black throughout, much more heavily marked, and above vein 4 fused with the black terminal band, traversed by a sub-terminal band of lunules o£ the tawny ground-colour, which decrease in size towards the costal margin. On the hind wing the sub-terminal black spots often form a continuous band, decreasing in width posteriorly and separated only by the fulvous veins; in many specimens, however, the posterior spots are separate, but the apical two spots are always fused together and each bears outwardly a more or less conspicuous white spot. On the Underside, the ground-colour differs from that in C. marmax in being a purplish tawny with no trace of yellow, but suffused with an iridescent steel-blue tint; the usual slaty-black transverse highly sinuous lines are present; a series of subterminal obscure dark spots anteriorly on the fore wing; on the hind wing the oblique postdiscal slaty-black lunular line better defined anteriorly than in C. marmax.
Females differ on the upperside with the postdiscal transverse lunular band on the fore wing more heavily marked throughout and much broader anteriorly than in C. marmax and on the underside the ground-colour is purplish tawny as in the male but much paler, the basal half of both fore and hind wing a shade darker than the terminal half, the oblique postdiscal slate-black band on the hind wing broad and outwardly diffuse.
Varieties desa and adamsi, Moore, from Southern Burma differ slightly in the width and in the direction ot the inner edge of the black terminal band, characters which are very variable even in the forms from Sikkim.
Wing expanse of 94-114 mm.
Found in north-eastern India (Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
) and into Burma.
See also
- CharaxinaeCharaxinaeCharaxinae, the leafwings, is a nymphalid subfamily of butterflies that includes about 400 species, inhabiting mainly the tropics, although some species extend into temperate regions in North America, Europe, China and southern Australia. There are significant variations between the species...
- NymphalidaeNymphalidaeThe Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
- List of butterflies of India
- List of butterflies of India (Nymphalidae)