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01 April 2024

Charaxes bernstorffi – Raydah Escarpment

Birding the large valley near Raydah Village area at 1300 metres ASL we came across a Charaxes bernstorffi a new butterfly species in Saudi Arabia for me. These occur in dry savanna, riverine forest containing Ficus spp. and Acacia spp and wooded narrow gorges to about 1000 m.  Charaxes bernstorffi is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae and is found in Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia. Charaxes means "to sharpen" or "to make pointed", referring to the pointed 'tails' on the hind wing of this butterfly. This location is close to Abha in the southwest mountains.