Charaxes marmax
Encyclopedia
The Yellow Rajah is a butterfly found in India that belongs to the Rajahs and Nawabs group, that is, the Charaxinae
group of the Brush-footed butterflies
family.
The female is similar but the ground-colour on the disc paler. Fore wing: the short discal band very broad, continued as a series of lunules in the interspaces to vein 1 : the postdiscal lunular line slender above, not joined on to the black on the termen, and sometimes black, sometimes chestnut-coloured; the black on the margin formed into a subterminal series of large black inwardly conical spots, the termen beyond dusky ochraceous. Hind wing: the subterminal row of black spots with white central transverse very short lines. Underside much as in the male, but the slate-black lunules on the hind wing form a broad obliquely placed line ; the subterminal series of white spots larger and more conspicuous both on fore and hind wing; upper tail spatulate, much longer than in male.
Charaxinae
Charaxinae, the leafwings, is a nymphalid 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. There are significant variations between the species...
group of the Brush-footed butterflies
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
family.
Description
The male has the ground colour of the upperside rich ochraceous tawny. Fore wing has a black subcostal spot at the discocellulars and a pale chestnut line on either side of them; a very short slightly curved discal narrow band from vein 7 to vein 5, a postdiscal broad oblique band from costa to vein 6, and a broad terminal band from apex to vein 1, jet-black ; the extreme margin of the termen touched interruptedly with fulvous tawny; the postdiscal band continued as a curved lunular narrow chestnut band to vein 1, and the black at apex continued along the costa, joining the postdiscal band above. Hind wing: costal margin broadly pale yellow, terminal third of wing of a darker tawny shade than the base, a short discal broken black line from costa to vein 6; a subterminal slightly curved series of outwardly pointed black spots, increasing in size to interspace 6, the tornal two centred with white; the terminal margin somewhat broadly dark reddish brown. Underside bright ochraceous yellow. Fore and hind wings crossed by the usual sinuous black lines, the postdiscal line outwardly lunular. Fore wing: the discocellulars defined by dark lines, the apex with two short white streaks continued as a line of obscure white dots to interspace 1. Hind wing: the space between base of wing and subbasal dark line and between the median two dark lines darker ochraceous than the ground-colour; the postdiscal lunular line with a dark shade beyond, traversed by a series of heavy slate-black lunules, and white, black-tipped obscure dots ; the terminal reddish-brown band as on the upperside. Antennae black annulated with white; head, thorax and abdomen tawny; beneath paler, the palpi white.The female is similar but the ground-colour on the disc paler. Fore wing: the short discal band very broad, continued as a series of lunules in the interspaces to vein 1 : the postdiscal lunular line slender above, not joined on to the black on the termen, and sometimes black, sometimes chestnut-coloured; the black on the margin formed into a subterminal series of large black inwardly conical spots, the termen beyond dusky ochraceous. Hind wing: the subterminal row of black spots with white central transverse very short lines. Underside much as in the male, but the slate-black lunules on the hind wing form a broad obliquely placed line ; the subterminal series of white spots larger and more conspicuous both on fore and hind wing; upper tail spatulate, much longer than in male.
Other references
- Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
See also
- CharaxinaeCharaxinaeCharaxinae, the leafwings, is a nymphalid 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. There are significant variations between the species...
- NymphalidaeNymphalidaeThe Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
- List of butterflies of India
- List of butterflies of India (Nymphalidae)