Charaxes lucyae is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Tanzania.
Very close to Charaxes eudoxus but with more dentate wing margins and
longer tails; there are also minor differences in the genitalia
The habitat consists of sub-montane and montane forests.
Subspecies
Charaxes lucyae lucyae (north-eastern Tanzania) Charaxes lucyae gabriellae Turlin & Chovet, 1987 (north-eastern Tanzania) Charaxes lucyae mwanihanae Kielland, 1982 (eastern Tanzania)
Related species
Historical attempts to assemble a cluster of presumably related species into a "Charaxes jasius Group" have not been wholly convincing. More recent taxonomic revision, corroborated by phylogenetic research, allow a more rational grouping congruent with cladistic relationships. Within a well-populated clade of 27 related species sharing a common ancestor approximately 16 mya during the Miocene, 26 are now considered together as The jasius Group. One of the two lineages within this clade forms a robust monophyletic group of seven species sharing a common ancestor approximately 2-3 mya, i.e. during the Pliocene, and are considered as the jasius subgroup. The second lineage leads to 19 other species within the Jasius group, which are split into three well-populated subgroups of closely related species.
The jasius Group (26 Species):
Clade 1: jasius subgroup (7 species)
Clade 2: contains the well-populated three additional subgroups (19 species) of the jasius Group: called the brutus, pollux, and eudoxus subgroups.
the eudoxus subgroup (11 species): Charaxes eudoxus Charaxes lucyae Charaxes richelmanni Charaxes musakensis Charaxes biokensis[stat.rev.2005] Charaxes ducarmei Charaxes druceanus Charaxes tectonis Charaxes phraortes Charaxes andranodorus Charaxes andrefana[stat.rev.2025]
Further exploration of the phylogenetic relationships amongst existing Charaxes taxa is required to improve clarity.
References
van Someren, V.G.L., 1975 Revisional notes on African Charaxes, Palla and Euxanthe (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part X. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Entomology) 32 (3):65-136.