Rank Species | ||
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Similar Charaxes pythodoris, Charaxes mixtus, Charaxes odysseus, Charaxes bohemani, Charaxes kheili | ||
Charaxes monteiri is a rare tropical butterfly of the Nymphalidae family, belonging to the Charaxinae subfamily or leafwing butterflies. It was described by Otto Staudinger and Ernst Schatz in 1885.
Contents
Description
Charaxes monteiri presents an important sexual dimorphism, as do most species of the genus Charaxes. The wingspan is about 90 millimetres (3.5 in) in the males and about 100 millimetres (3.9 in) in the females. Adults mainly feed on rotting fruits. The male has a black-brown and blue wing, while the female has a brown wing with a wide white stripes on each side and a smaller one on top.
Distribution and habitat
This species is endemic to the island of Sao Thome in the archipelago of São Tomé and Principe (Gulf of Guinea). It can be found in the mountain peaks of volcanic origin.
Taxonomy
Charaxes tiridates group
Other
The species of butterfly was featured on a Santomean stamp in 1979.