Whilst on the Raydah Escarpment I photographed a butterfly that I was unable to identify. Phil Roberts also photographed the same butterfly recently in a similar place and identified it as a Common Scarlet Axiocerses harpax kadugalii. This is a species from the Afrotropics, ranging from Senegal, Central Africa and along the eastern coast, southern Arabia in the Asir and Dhofar areas. It is about 35 mm in size and fly year round. It uses various habitats from forest to missed acacia woodland, savannah and thorn bush to wadis. It upperwing is scarlet and black but the underwing is very different as shown in the photo below.
