Subfamily Heliconiinae.: A largely pantropical group, with one of the five tribes found in the Holarctic Region.
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Tribe Acraeini: There are two Afrotropical genera contained within this tribe; Telchinia and Acraea, both represented at Semuliki. There are 138 described Afrotropical species within this tribe with 104 species recorded in Uganda. At Semuliki a total of 45 species from both genera have been recorded: 25 from the genus Telchinia and 20 species of Acraea, contributing to a third of the Ugandan species total.
Genus Cymothoe: There are 15 species of the Afrotropical genus Cymothoe so far recorded at Semuliki from a.continent total of 78 (Williams, 2018) and a Ugandan total of 17 (Williams, 2015) or 90% of Uganda's total. The two Ugandan species not being recorded at Semuliki being C. distincta and C. indamora, but with both these species being recorded either in the Ituri Forest or Semliki Valley (Ducarme, 2018) it is a distinct possibility that they will also be found in Semuliki. Only three species are frequently sampled in traps and these are C. sangaris, C. cyclades and C. confusa. This genus has been categorised into clades nd the most commonly trapped species C. confusa had a distinctly clumped distribution within Semuliki. Species from this genus were observed more in the forest midstorey as compared to the preference of the forest floor for the genera Bebearia, Euphaedra and Euriphene.
Genus Cymothoe: There are 15 species of the Afrotropical genus Cymothoe so far recorded at Semuliki from a.continent total of 78 (Williams, 2018) and a Ugandan total of 17 (Williams, 2015) or 90% of Uganda's total. The two Ugandan species not being recorded at Semuliki being C. distincta and C. indamora, but with both these species being recorded either in the Ituri Forest or Semliki Valley (Ducarme, 2018) it is a distinct possibility that they will also be found in Semuliki. Only three species are frequently sampled in traps and these are C. sangaris, C. cyclades and C. confusa. This genus has been categorised into clades nd the most commonly trapped species C. confusa had a distinctly clumped distribution within Semuliki. Species from this genus were observed more in the forest midstorey as compared to the preference of the forest floor for the genera Bebearia, Euphaedra and Euriphene.
BUTTERFLY
Research, Conservation and Education
Semuliki National Park, Uganda
Euphaedra rattrayi.
Bebearia carshena male.
Cymothoe sangaris male.
Euphaedra edwardsii male.
Euphaedra medon male.
Acraea alcinoe.
Bebearia abesa female, showing cryptic colouration.
Bebearia laetitioides feeding on banana bait.
Over 500 butterflies in a 24 hour sampling period.
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Bicyclus vulgaris, B. mesogena and B. funebris.
Plate full of feeding Limenitidinae butterflies.
Euphaedra medon female, showing sexual dimorphism
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A. enotrea, B. procora and B. buea.
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Bebearia zonara female and Bebearia laetitioides male.
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Bicyclus golo mating.
Euriphene saphirina female.
Bebearia cocalia male.
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Euphaedra eleus male.
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Bebearia zonara male.
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Bebearia sophus female.
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Apallaga alluaudi.
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Euphaedra alacris male.
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Bebearia cocalia female.
Euriphene atossa male.
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Cymothoe confusa female.
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Acraea lycoa male.
Junonia stygia.
Bicyclus hyperanthus.
Forest sounds with Bebearia and Euphaedra.
Bridge sign to DRC at Lamia river.
Semliki river view from Buranga Pass.
Park boundary with Semliki river and Blue mountains
of DRC in the distance.
Banda at Bumaga accommodation site by forest edge.
Justice preparing for a trip into the forest.
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Joachim with friendly B. cocalia and E. medon.
Sampling at one of the two transects.
A feast at Joachim's house with his family.
Promoting insect conservation at local schools.
Up the Rwenzoris to the bat cave.
Justice sampling with project volunteers.
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Edson from Bundimasoli community undertaking training.
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Sam from Bundimasoli community undertaking training.
Sampling transect with trap.
A canopy trap hung by Geoffrey.
Leopard spoor within an elephant footprint - close to Bumaga campsite
E. rattrayi, C. sangaris, B. carshena, A. alcinoe, B. laetitioides, E.medon, E. edwardsii and B. abesa. Images by Lydia Messerschmidt. Video by Lydia Messerschmidt.