Black-bordered Charaxes

In Charaxes pollux forewings can reach a length of 36–45 millimetres (1.4–1.8 in) in males, of 41–51 millimetres (1.6–2.0 in) in females. The upperside of the forewings is tawny in the basal area, with a broad ochraceous orange post-discal band and a black wide border. The upperside of the hindwings is rather similar, but it has a whitish discal area and pale blue submarginal spots. The underside is red-chestnut, with a white discal band and a series of black bars bordered with white. The edge of the wings is sharply dentate. Seitz-The discal band of the upper surface is dark orange-yellow; the tails of the hind wing only 3–4 mm. in length; the hindwing above with a deep black, unspotted marginal band, 9–10 mm. in breadth; the forewing with small brown marginal spots. On the under surface the black, white-bordered spots are almost as numerous as in hansali and on the hindwing there are three in cellule 8 and two in cellule 7. Sierra Leone to Angola and Uganda. — geminus Rothsch. differs in having small brown marginal spots on the hindwing above, at least in cellules 4—6. Manicaland, Nyassaland, Kilimandjaro. Similar to Charaxes ansorgei but male lacking a white band on the hindwing upperside.

Charaxes pollux can be found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The habitat consists of Afrotropical forests, gallery forests and heavy woodland.

Life-sized colour plates and description of the larval and pupal stages of C. pollux and additional related species, illustrated by Dr. V. G. L. van Someren, are readily available. The larvae feed on Sorindeia species, Bersama abyssinica, Deinbollia kilimandsharica, Deinbollia borbonica, Fluggia microcarpa, Securinega virosa and Fluggia virosa. Adults are probably on wing year round. Notes on the biology of pollux are given by Pringle et al (1994), Larsen (1991), Larsen (2005) and Kielland (1990).