Pearl Charaxes vs Ant Strepsipteran
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Pearl Charaxes | Ant Strepsipteran |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Charaxes varanes | Myrmecolax incautus |
| Order | Lepidoptera | Strepsiptera |
| Family | Nymphalidae | Myrmecolacidae |
| Size | 55-70 mm wingspan | 2-4 mm (males) |
| Habitat | Underground | Underground |
| Diet | Sap Feeders | Parasites |
| Regions | Sub-Saharan Africa | South America, Neotropics |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Data Deficient |
Pearl Charaxes
A medium-sized charaxes butterfly with pearly white underwings and tawny-orange uppersides. It is one of the most common charaxes in southern Africa.
Did You Know?
Unlike most butterflies, charaxes are attracted to rotting fruit and animal droppings rather than flowers.
Ant Strepsipteran
A remarkable strepsipteran that parasitizes ants. Males parasitize ants while females parasitize crickets or grasshoppers, a unique life history involving two different host orders.
Did You Know?
The two sexes parasitize hosts from completely different insect orders, a phenomenon found nowhere else in the animal kingdom.