''Charaxes kirki'' is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

in the family

Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a red ...

. It is found in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, Tanzania and Uganda.

Description

f. ''kirki'' Btlr. Hindwing above with broad white median band, with the proximal border bluish and the distal somewhat yellowish, marginal streaks olive, in cellules 4-6 orange. The two rows of spots on the forewing are joined together in cellules la-3 and only in cellules 4-7 more or less completely separated; the band formed by them is yellowish white to ochre-yellow. German and British East Africa.

Biology

The habitat consists of savanna and dry forests. The larvae feed on ''

Acacia mellifera ''Senegalia mellifera'' is a common thorn tree in Africa. The name ''mellifera'' refers to its sweet-smelling blossoms and honey. Its lumber turns pitch black when oiled. Common names of the tree include Blackthorn and Swarthaak (Afrikaans). I ...

'', '' Albizia adianthifolia'', '' Albizia coriaria'', ''

Albizia schimperiana ''Albizia'' is a genus of more than 160 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, America and A ...

'', ''

Entada abyssinica ''Entada'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It consists of some 30 species of trees, shrubs and tropical lianas. About 21 species are known from Africa, six fr ...

'', '' Entada leptostachys'', ''

Entada africana ''Entada'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It consists of some 30 species of trees, shrubs and tropical lianas. About 21 species are known from Africa, six fr ...

'', ''

Entada phaseoloides ''Entada phaseoloides'' commonly named the box bean or St. Thomas’ bean, first described by Linnaeus, with its current name described by Merrill. ''E. phaseoloides'' is a liana in the pea family: called ''gugo'', ''balugo'' or ''tamayan'' in t ...

'', '' Tamarindus indica'', ''

Acacia caffra ''Senegalia caffra'', also known as hook-thorn or ''Acacia caffra'', is a tree that occurs commonly in southern Africa. Though it is cultivated, it often occurs naturally in Gauteng suburban gardens, together with '' Acacia karroo'' and ''Acacia ...

'', '' Albizia sassa'', '' Albizia gummifera'' and ''

Entada gigas ''Entada gigas'', commonly known as the monkey-ladder, sea bean, cœur de la mer or sea heart, is a species of flowering liana in the pea family, Fabaceae of the Mimosa subfamily, which is often raised to family rank (Mimosaceae). They are nati ...

''. Notes on the biology of ''kirki'' are provided by Kielland (1990) and Larsen (1991)

Taxonomy

''Charaxes kirki'' is a member of the ''

Charaxes etheocles ''Charaxes etheocles'', the demon charaxes, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the C ...

'' species group.

Subspecies

*''Charaxes kirki kirki'' (central and eastern Kenya, central, northern and eastern Tanzania, Pemba Island) *''Charaxes kirki daria'' Rothschild, 1903 (Ethiopia: east of the Rift Valley) *''Charaxes kirki suk'' Carpenter & Jackson, 1950Carpenter, G.D.H., and Jackson, T.H.E. 1950. New butterflies from East Africa and the Ituri Forest. ''Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London'' (B) 19: 97-108. (Uganda: central and north to the area west of Lake Rudolf)

Description

Biology

Taxonomy

Subspecies

References

External links