Kingdom Animalia Subfamily Limenitidinae Phylum Arthropoda Rank Genus | Family Nymphalidae Scientific name Cymothoe Higher classification Limenitidinae Order Butterflies and moths | |
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Wingspan Cymothoe coranus: 6 – 6.8 cm, Cymothoe alcimeda: 4.5 – 5.5 cm, Cymothoe radialis: 5 cm Lower classifications Cymothoe sangaris, Cymothoe caenis, Cymothoe hobarti, Cymothoe coranus, Cymothoe alcimeda | ||
Cymothoe is a genus of butterflies in the subfamily Limenitidinae, the admirals and relatives. They are known commonly as gliders. The genus is distributed in the Afrotropical ecozone, where species are found mainly in forest habitat. mainly in the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolian forests.
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Description
Medium-large to large-size (wingspan 40-70 millimeters) often quite colourful butterflies.Species in this genus exhibit a number of different colours and patterns. Among the most remarkable are a number of species where the upper side is solid coloured bright red or orange. Another group is largely pale yellow; others deep ochreous yellow and chocolate brown or pure white.
Biology
The larvae feed on various shrubs and trees. Recorded host genera include Rawsonia and Kiggelaria (Achariaceae), Fernandoa and Kigelia (Bignoniaceae), Vismia (Hypericaceae), Dovyalis (Salicaceae) and Rinorea (Violaceae). The adults spend most tome in the canopy but also seek out sunlit spots between the trees and feed on forest floor decaying vegetation.
Taxonomy
These butterflies exhibit sexual dimorphism. Individuals can also be variable within a species, especially females. The females of C. caenis, for example, are so variable that authorities have described 20 different forms of the species based on their differences.
The sister genus is Harma. The type species of the genus is Papilio althea Cramer.
Species groups
Defining species groups is a convenient way of subdividing well-defined genera with a large number of recognized species. Cymothoe species are so arranged in assemblages called "species groups" but (not superspecies, but an informal phenetic arrangement). These may or may not be clades. As molecular phylogenetic studies continue, lineages distinct enough to warrant some formal degree of recognition become evident and new groupings are suggested, but consistent ranking remains a problem.
Species
There are about 75 known species.
Listed alphabetically within species groups:
