EUXANTHE TIBERIUS(Euxanthe tiberius)
Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —nymphalidae
Genus –euxanthe
Appearance
The caterpillar is green with a light wavy line on the sides of the body and has got a double tail. It has a shield with two long and several short horns on its head.
The wingspan of the male is 92-100 mm and 110 mm for the female. The wings are dark brown. There are many white spots on the forewings and a red-brown spot on the forewing. The body is black with many small white spots. Females have large white spots on the hindwings.
Habitat
Euxanthe tiberiusis found in Kenya and Tanzania.
Behavior
Euxanthe tiberius prefers lowland evergreen forests, including coastal forests.
Diet
The larvae feed on Deinbollia species. The butterflies feed on overripe fruits.
Reproduction
For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs one at a time on the leaves of the forage plant. Eggs are light yellow, rounded. Incubation lasts for several days. It is better to keep the caterpillars in plastic containers closed with a grid, 6-8 insects in each container.In the container, you need to place a forage plant.A wet paper towel is placed on the bottom, which must be replaced daily.The temperature is 22-25 oC at the humidity of65-75%. Pupae are green with a light spot. Butterflies live up to 14 days.
In captivity
The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You need to feed the butterflies with overripe fruits, such as a banana. You can offer them a few drops of honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.