Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Pseudopontia

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Order
  
Lepidoptera

Scientific name
  
Pseudopontia

Rank
  
Genus

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Family
  
Pieridae

Higher classification
  
Pieridae

Pseudopontia httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Subfamily
  
Pseudopontiinae Reuter, 1896

Similar
  
Pieridae, Butterfly, Pseudopontia paradoxa, Butterflies and moths, Dismorphiinae

Pseudopontia is a genus of butterflies found only in wet forests of tropical Africa. It is the only genus in the subfamily Pseudopontiinae. It was traditionally thought to contain only one species (monotypic), Pseudopontia paradoxa. However, a recent study showed there are at least five species of Pseudopontia which can be distinguished genetically and by details of wing veins. Each is found primarily in a different part of Africa, though several of the species have overlapping geographic distributions.

It is considered paradoxical because, despite being a true butterfly (Papilionoidea), its antennae do not have the characteristic clubbed ends which are otherwise diagnostic of butterflies (Rhopalocera).

Species

  • Pseudopontia paradoxa R. Felder, 1869; found in rainforests in Cameroon, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Gabon
  • Pseudopontia australis F.A. Dixey, 1923 (formerly considered a subspecies); found in Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa), Congo (Brazzaville), and eastern Gabon, usually at low elevation
  • Pseudopontia gola S. Safian and K. Mitter, 2011; found in Sierra Leone and Liberia in far western Africa
  • Pseudopontia mabira K. Mitter and S. Collins, 2011; found in central Africa: in Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo within about 5 degrees latitude north and south of the Equator
  • Pseudopontia zambezi K. Mitter and W. De Prins, 2011; found in riverine forests in the southern African highlands: in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Angola, at elevations over 800 m above sea level
  • References

    Pseudopontia Wikipedia