Tawny Rajah

Tawny Rajah

Charaxes bernardus

Charaxes bernardus imna Butler

NYMPHALIDAE (=Charaxes polyxena ( Cramer ))

Adult

Upperside male rich yellowish or orange brown. FW with a broad black outer border, a broad white discal band, (which extends to the middle of HW). Black outer borer with a series of yellowish brown spots on its inner margin in dry season forms. Hw apical area black with 2 small white streak-like dots followed by subterminal series of black spots. Tail at V4. underside purple brown or orange with silvery iridescence on both sings. Discal white band broader and terminal black border of FW with a series of yellowish white semi-lunar markings on the inner margin. Wingspan 90-100mm.

Occurs in 4 races: imna ( South India to Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Konkan), Psaphon ( Sri Lanka), hemana ( Mussorie, Kumaon) and hierax ( Sikkim to Assam and Myanmar ) differing in the degree of spotting in the apex of FW and tail in HW. A butterfly of low elevations in most parts of India but found up to 1500m in North India and Srilanka. One of the most powerful and impressive insects of south India with powerful flight, exceeding 60km/hr. male always hovers among tree tops and comes readily to rotten organic materials like dead crabs. Both sexes come to fermenting fruits.

Larva

Dark bluish with brown yellow bands. Head bluish green with yellow marginal band, a black line and 4 curved horns.

Feeds on saccopetalum tomentosum and Aglaia elaeagnoidea.

Distribution

India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, the Sundaland, Papua New Guinea and the Bismarck Islands.