<> Eriboea solon Fabricius,1793 <>

the Black Rajah ผีเสื้อราชาดำ (ตาลหนามดำ)

Click on any photo to see all photos full size in Lightbox

Additions and corrections to the information provided on this page is always welcome. Please use the Contact form.

Photo taken at Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 450m a.s.l.

Eriboea solon was, until recently, known as Charaxes solon, and is fairly widespread in small colonies across most of the region. Both sexes are very similar in appearance and are usually seen near streams where they are regular and enthusiastic mud puddlers. The species is multivoltine but it is not known how many broods per annum.

Synonyms: Papilio fabius, Papilio solon, Charaxes cunctator, Charaxes fabius, Charaxes solon

Taxonomy: Animalia - Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Charaxinae - Eriboea - solon

Regional Distribution: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat: deciduous forest up to 2000m a.s.l.

Flight time: all year depending on location Wingspan: 50-75mm

Life History: not fully known but total egg to adult is believed to be in excess of 60 days.

Larval Hosts: Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia mangium, Bauhinia acuminata, Bauhinia racemosa, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Dalbergia sissoo, Dalbergia cochinchinensis, Moullava spicata, Pithecellobium dulce, Tamarindus indica, Xylia xylocarpa (Fabaceae), Croton tiglium (Euphorbiaceae). Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Adult Food Sources: Nectar - doesn't usually visit flowers but females have been recorded feeding on Lantana camara. Other - mud puddling, animal dung, carrion, rotting fruit, tree sap