Overview
Charaxinae, the leafwings, is a 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. They are medium-sized and bright orange above, but mottled gray or brown below.1] This underwing coloration helps them resemble a dead leaf when they are at rest as they keep their wings closed.[1]
Adults are very robust and fast flyers, and many are strongly attracted to drink liquids off carrion, dung, and rotten fruits, rather than nectar from flowers.[1]
Males establish territories and perch on tree trunks, branches, and even the ground.[1] The eggs are smooth and round and generally with a somewhat concave apex.
Selected Genera
Tribe Charaxini Guenée, 1865
- Polyura – nawabs
- Charaxes – rajahs and pashas
Tribe Euxanthini Rydon, 1971
- Euxanthe
Tribe Pallini Rydon, 1971
- Palla
Tribe Prothoini Roepke, 1938
- Prothoe – Blue Begum
- Agatasa – Glorious Begum
Tribe Preponini Rydon, 1971
- Agrias
- Prepona
- Archaeoprepona
- Noreppa
- Anaeomo rpha (sometimes in Anaeini)
Tribe Anaeini
- 10 genera, see tribe article
Gallery
Collection Specimens
Living Specimens
Photos
Taxonomy
The Subfamily Charaxinae is a member of the Family Nymphalidae. Here is the complete "parentage" of Charaxinae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Subfamily: Charaxinae - Leafwings and relatives
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Subfamily Charaxinae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Genus (9): Anaea · Archaeoprepona · Charaxes · Memphis · Polyura · Portia · Prepona · Prothoe · Siderone
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 581 species and subspecies in the Subfamily Charaxinae.
Genera
Anaea
Archaeoprepona
Archaeoprepona is a genus of neotropical charaxine in the family Nymphalidae, native to Mexico, Central America, northern South America and the Caribbean. [more]
Charaxes
Charaxes has several meanings: [more]
Memphis
Memphis is a in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River. [more]
Polyura
Polyura is the of nawab butterflies. They belong to the brush-footed butterfly subfamily Charaxinae, or leafwing butterflies. Like the large and conspicuous pasha and rajah butterflies (Charaxes) they belong to the Charaxini tribe. [more]
Portia
Prepona
Prepona is a genus of neotropical charaxine butterflies in the family . They are strong fliers in tropical forests where they feed on fermenting fruits and animal dung. [more]
Prothoe
The Blue Begum (Prothoe franck) is a species found in India[verification needed]. It belongs to the leafwings (Charaxinae) in the Brush-footed butterflies family. Its genus, Prothoe, is monotypic. [more]
Siderone
At least 20 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Siderone.
More info about the Genus Siderone may be found here.
References
- ^ a b c d Daniels, Jaret C. (2003). Butterflies of the Carolinas. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications, Inc.. pp. 12. ISBN 1-59193-007-3.
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Thursday, August 13, 2009.
- Photographs on this page are copyrighted by individual photographers, and individual copyrights apply.
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