Coast Charaxes butterfly

Afrikaans name: Satier-dubbelstert

Coast Charaxes butterfly

Photo © Steven Herbert

Charaxes ethalion

The male Coast Charaxes is smaller than the female. The female can have a wingspan of up to 6 cm.

The colouring of this species is quite variable. The upperside of the wing is blackish to black.

The Coast Charaxes is found along the eastern edge of the country from Oribi Gorge to Kruger National Park. Its preferred habitats are coastal forest and woodland.

Its larvae feed on Flat Crown Albizia in South Africa but elsewhere in Africa they do utilise other species as well. Many South African gardens feature a Flat-crowned Albizia and this is why the Coast Charaxes is a fairly common garden butterfly.

The Coast Charaxes is also known as the Satyr emperor.

References and further reading

Ivor Migdolls Field Guide to the Butterflies of Southern Africa - Author: Ivor Migdoll - Published: 1987 - Page: 162

Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa - 1st edition - Author: Steve Woodhall - Published: 2005 - Page: 112

Gardening for Butterflies - Author: Steve Woodhall & Lindsay Gray - Published: 2015 - Page: 44

Field Guide to Butterflies of South Africa - 2nd edition - Author: Steve Woodhall - Published: 2020 - Page: 116

Familiar South African Butterflies - Author: Clive Quickelberge - Published: 1986 - Page: 23

Butterflies of the Kruger National Park - Author: Johan Kloppers and the late Dr. G. Van Son - Published: 1978 - Page: 83

Butterflies of Southern Africa - A field guide - Author: Mark Williams - Published: 1994 - Page: 107

For more info: The Virtual Museum

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