Blue-horned dragon caterpillar
Location: Bas-Congo, DR Congo
July 26, 2011 1:31 am
Dear Mr. Bugman,
My 9 yo daughter and I are interested in knowing more about a cool caterpillar we encountered in the Kisantu Botanical Gardens here in Congo about 120 km west of Kinshasa. We appreciate any help you can give us.
Katy and her dad.
Hi Katy and her dad,
While we are unable to provide you with a species name, we can provide you with the genus for this horned Caterpillar. It is in the genus Charaxes, a group of Brush Footed Butterflies found in Africa. According to the Butterfly Corner website, there are over 180 species of Charaxes. Members of the genus are also found in India and other parts of Asia where they are known as Pashas or Rajahs. While this is not your species, you can see the similarities to this Madagascar native, the Green Veined Charaxes on the Online Fieldguide website.
Hi Daniel,
Would you please put me in contact with Katy’s dad regarding the following?
I might be able to provide a specific ID (the Charaxinae are one of my research subjects; it was I, not David Lees, who initially identified the Malagasy Green-veined Charaxes larva for Philip Bowles), but first need a bit more information and hopefully higher res photos. Thanks very much!
Cheers,
Keith Wolfe
I have just found this in my garden in Kampala, Uganda and have been taking high res photos of it for most of this afternoon. I would love to get in contact with Keith Wolfe regarding the exact species name.
You may submit your images using our standard form which can be accessed by clicking the Ask What’s That Bug? link on our site. We are eager to see your images. At that time, we will contact Keith Wolfe.