Laodice, Bouyer, 2023

Bouyer, Thierry, 2023, The genera of the tribe Charaxini (Papilionoidea, Nymphalidae, Charaxinae), Metamorphosis 34 (1), pp. 59-78 : 65-66

Genus Laodice gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:709BCD1A-906B-47D2-8550-7D207F7D663D

Type species of the genus: Papilio lycurgus

Fabricius, 1793.

Corresponds to the lycurgus- group of Henning (1989: 384) and the species-group Lycurgus of Aduse-Poku et al. (2009).

This species is unique from every point of view: habitus ( Henning, 1989), genitalia (see illustrations and comparative study in Plantrou, 1983), mimicry and behaviour ( Darge, 1973), endemism (Quaternary refuges in southern Cameroon: Lolodorf, Efulen, Mt Kala, from Gabon: Mts de Cristal and from R.P. Congo: Ndouba, Kelle). The early stages and food plant are unknown.

The species cannot be included in any species group or in any genus of Charaxinae.

The upperside and underside have an almost identical pattern except:

- the basal area of the forewing and the costa of the hindwing in which black is replaced by orange on the underside,

- the white drawings more accentuated and clearer on the underside than on the upperside,

- the baso-anal black lines on the underside hindwing not present on the upperside (but visible by transparency).

The forewing is black, adorned with a band of three preapical white spots, a series of 5 postdiscal white spots, the central one of which is strongly offset towards the end of the cell, two large elongated anal spots and small white spots more or less distinct and scattered in the cell and at the level of the tornus.

Derivatio nominis. The name Laodice is the old and often used specific name laodice for the actual lycurgus .

Basically black Charaxini on the upperside with some blue patterns and almost completely brown on the underside. Forewings massive, with sinuous outer edge and rounded apex. Hindwings not caudate except for most of the females (but zelica ) with a tail at M3 of the hindwing, rounded and slightly spatulate (never pointed).

The patterns on the upperside are always blue with occasional white premarginal dots on the hindwings. On the underside, the patterns are limited to bands of separate spots. These bands are two in number on the hindwings, a discal (very shifted in lycurgus ) and sometimes an obsolete marginal band (female lycurgus and porthos ). On the forewings, the disc band is always present, in a staggered position, sometimes accompanied by a preapical spot and/or a cellular spot.

The underside is relatively uniform, shiny with a basal band and a clear postdiscal band delimited by fine black lines more or less underlined with white. The postdiscal band is straight on HW and curved on FW, well-marked.

Early stages. Following Williams’s catalogue, the foodplants for L. lycurgus are: Albizia zygia (DC.) J.F. Macb. ( Fabaceae ) [ Henning, 1989: 385]; Dalbergia species ( Fabaceae ) [Larsen, 2005a]; Dichapetalum species ( Dichapetalaceae ) [Larsen, 2005a]; Philenoptera cyanescens (Schumach. & Thonn.) Roberty ( Fabaceae ) [ Henning, 1989: 385 as Lonchocarpus cyanescens (Schum. & Thonn.) Benth. ]; Millettia species ( Fabaceae ) [Larsen, 2005a]; Paullinia pinnata L. ( Sapindaceae ) [Vuattoux & Blandin, 1977; Ivory Coast]; Pterocarpus santalinoides L’Hér. ex DC. ( Fabaceae ) [Vuattoux & Blandin, 1977; Ivory Coast]; Trachyphrynium species ( Marantaceae ) [Larsen, 2005a].

No description of the early stages of Laodice has ever been published. However, a last instar larva was photographed in eastern DR Congo by Anne Laudisoit that could be it. The observation took place on March 19, 2021, in a relict forest on the north-east side of Lake Albert (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72179159).

Although its general structure seems close to the last stage caterpillar of the “jasius group”, this has some original characters which we give below. Overall, this caterpillar is very different from those of Euxanthe , the genus in which Aduse-Poku et al. included the lycurgus-group (= the new Laodice genus).

There are several species of Laodice in this region and it is therefore risky to attribute it to a particular species, while remembering that Laodice lycurgus is the most common of them.

The general shape is that of caterpillars of the genus Charaxes , as of the “ jasius group”. Facial disc of head is pale green with entire margin and horns black-brown, heavily covered with small white granules. The two outer pairs of horns are small and sturdy with a broad base, triangular. They are of the same size, but the outermost ones are clearly curved inwards. A third median dorsal pair is composed of two very small, pointed horns. There do not appear to be any other horns or supernumerary growths, giving a very simple formula of 3 simple pairs of horns. The general dorsal color of the body is pale green (like the head capsule) except for the first tergite which is dark leaf green, bordered posteriorly by a fine granular white margin. On the anterior half of the middle of the back of segments V and VIII, there are two almost circular, slightly oval discs whose middle is a black-brown disc surrounded by an asymmetrical greenish-yellow ring wider towards the front than the rear. This last ring is bordered by a thin, irregular black border that is sometimes vestigial. These discs are bordered, set back towards the bottom, with two white dots, the most dorsal of which is slightly set back in relation to the first. The stigmata are white. The dorsoventral lateral band is very marked, slightly swollen, with a blackish-brown background color heavily covered with white granularities, more accentuated on the lateral margin. This band completely contours the body towards the rear at the level of the last segment. This last segment is normally bifid. Straddling segments I-II, II-III, V-VI, VI- VII, VII-VIII and VIII-IX, the black-brown lateral band widens, forming blackish-brown triangles covered with white granularities.

The combination of the dorsal ornamentation, the shape of the head face and the recurring presence of brown-black marginal bands or lines heavily covered with white granularities is unique within Charaxini .

The genus contains 5 species.

Laodice lycurgus (Fabricius 1793) comb. nov. Syn. Laodice nesiope (Hewitson 1876) comb. nov.

Laodice lycurgus bernardiana (Plantrou, 1978) comb. nov.