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.
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Research, Conservation and Education
Semuliki National Park, Uganda
Subfamily Biblidinae: A predominantly Neotropical group, but within the Afrotropical region there are six genera included. All six genera include species from Semuliki. The subfamily Biblidinae contributes 12 species to the fruit-feeding assemblage from five different genera. None of the species could be regarded as common. The Biblidinae genus Mesoxantha is a non fruit-feeder.
Genus Neptidopsis: A genus containing only 2 species, one being recorded at Semuliki: N. ophione. This species was the most commonly trapped of the Biblidinae that were attracted to the traps.
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Neptidopsis ophione (upper and underside, sexes similar)
Genus Eurytela. A small Afrotropical genus in the subfamily Biblidinae, comprising four species, two of which are recorded at Semuliki: E. dryope and E. hiarbas. Both species are not common and E. hiarbas was only trapped once.
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Eurytela dryope (upper and underside, sexes similar)
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Eurytela hiarbas (female, upper and underside - males darker)
Genus Sevenia. A solely Afrotropical genus comprising 17 species, four of which are recorded at Semuliki: S. garega, S. umbrina, S. boisduvali and S. occidentalium. All four species were uncommon. Sexes are similar for all four species.
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Sevenia garega (upper and underside)
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Sevenia umbrina (upper and underside)
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Sevenia boisduvali (upper and underside)
Sevenia occidentalium (male, upper and underside)
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Sevenia occidentalium (female, upper and underside)
Genus Ariadne: A genus comprising five Afrotropical species, with three species being recorded at Semuliki: A albifascia, A. enotrea and A. pagenstecheri. None of these species could be described as common however A. enotrea was more abundant than the other two species.
Ariadne albifascia ( females, upperside)
Ariadne albifascia ( female, underside)
Ariadne albifascia ( male, upperside)
Ariadne enotrea (female, upper and underside)
Ariadne enotrea (male, upperside)
Ariadne pagenstecheri (waiting on field image)
Genus Byblia: A genus comprising only two species, both recorded at Semuliki: Byblia ilithyia and B. anvatara. Both species were only recorded from the grassland patch at Semuliki.
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