Charaxes latona

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Orange emperor (Charaxes latona)

Charaxes latona, the orange emperor, is a butterfly in the brush-footed butterfly family. It lives in tropical rainforests of eastern Indonesia, western Melanesia, and far northern Queensland, Australia, where it is mainly found on the Iron Range.

What it looks like
- Males: upperside is tawny orange with a broad dark border; the underside is paler and more fulvous. Forewing length is about 38–45 mm.
- Females: larger, with broader wings that are usually paler; forewing length about 47–57 mm. They have dark markings and patches on both sides of the wings.

Habitat and behavior
- They fly all year and can have several generations annually.
- Males perch about 6 meters up in trees to defend their territory; females are more often seen along forest edges and clearings.

Food
- The caterpillars feed on Cryptocarya triplinervis.

Taxonomy (brief)
- Family Nymphalidae; subfamily Charaxinae; genus Charaxes; species latona.