Charaxes acuminatus


Charaxes acuminatus, the pointed pearl charaxes or mountain pearl charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Description

Characterized, as the specific name implies, by the acuminate forewings Forewing with the distal margin deeply excised and long, sharp, falcate apex. The orange or red-brown spots in the black marginal area small or indistinct. German East Africa.

Biology

The habitat consists of afromontane forests usually at altitudes above.
Notes on the biology of acuminatus are given by Larsen, T.B. and Kielland, J..
The larvae feed on Allophylus species and Bersama abyssinica.

Taxonomy

Charaxes varanes group. Subgenus Stonehamia
The group members are:

Subspecies

  • C. a. acuminatus
  • C. a. cottrelli van Someren, 1963
  • C. a. kigezia van Someren, 1963
  • C. a. kulalae van Someren, 1975
  • C. a. mlanji van Someren, 1963
  • C. a. nyika van Someren, 1963
  • C. a. oreas Talbot, 1932
  • C. a. rondonis Kielland, 1987
  • C. a. shimbanus van Someren, 1963
  • C. a. stonehamiana Collins & Larsen, 1991
  • C. a. teitensis van Someren, 1963
  • C. a. thiryi Bouyer & Vingerhoedt, 2001
  • C. a. usambarensis van Someren, 1963
  • C. a. vumba van Someren, 1963