<> Charaxes solon Fabricius,1793 <>

the Black Rajah ผีเสื้อราชาดำ (ตาลหนามดำ)

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

Fairly widespread in small colonies across most of the region. Both sexes are very similar in appearance. Usually seen near streams where they are regular and enthusiastic mud puddlers. Multivoltine but not known how many broods per annum.

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

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

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

Habitat: deciduous forest up to 2000m a.s.l. Wingspan: 50-75mm

Flight time: all year depending on location

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 racemosa, 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