Butterflies of
Africa
Widespread Forester
Euphaedra medon
LINNAEUS, 1758
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
LIMENITIDINAE
Tribe - ADOLIADINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Euphaedra
medon, female, Bobiri forest, Ghana
Introduction
The
genus
Euphaedra
comprises of a yet to be discerned number of large and very beautiful
forest-dwelling butterflies, all found on the African continent. Hecq puts the total number of species as high as 154, but this is challenged
by a number of other workers who believe that many of these are merely
local forms or subspecies. Some workers also believe that a large number of
hybrids occur, but one has to ask why this should happen with
Euphaedra, but not with other genera ?
The butterflies all share a common wing shape, and most have a similar pattern on
the upperside - typically the basal areas of the wings ( particularly the
hindwings ) have large patches of metallic blue, green, orange or red scales;
and most species also have a cream or orange sub-apical bar. The underside of
medon is quite
plain, but other species such as sarcoptera and
zaddachii are very strikingly marked with black stigmata and
scarlet streaks on a bright yellow ground colour.
The female of medon
has a wingspan of about 8cms, and is illustrated above. The male is
smaller, averaging only 5cms wingspan. It has a metallic olive-green sheen
across the wings, and on the forewings has a cream subapical band, and a group
of black spots within the discal cell.
Euphaedra medon
is the commonest and most widespread species in the genus, found from Gambia to western
Kenya and Tanzania.
Euphaedra
medon, male, Big Tree, Ghana
Habitats
As with all Euphaedra
species, this butterfly is an inhabitant of tropical rainforest, and is
found at altitudes between sea level and about
1000m. Some species are confined to primary forest, but many including
medon
are equally
abundant in degraded or secondary forest.
Lifecycle
The eggs are laid singly or in clusters of 3 or 4, on the
leaves of
Allophylus,
Deinbollia,
Paullinia
and
Phialodiscus
( Sapindaceae ). They are dome-shaped, and bear a myriad of long spikes.
The caterpillars are
adorned with long spines, each carrying a number of smaller spines, giving the
impression of a comb or feather.
Adult behaviour
Both sexes fly close to the
ground, elegantly weaving their way through the forest
undergrowth. They do so with great adeptness, and are very
graceful in flight.
Females, and to a
lesser extent males, are strongly attracted to clusters of fallen
fruits, particularly
Ficus, and patrol back and
forth along forest paths in search of them. It is not unusual for
groups of up to 30 Euphaedra
and Bebearia butterflies of
various species to aggregate at such feeding sites.
Both sexes are often
seen basking with wings outspread, either in sunspots on the
forest floor, or on the foliage of bushes in light gaps. Females
sometimes fan their wings slowly open and closed when feeding.
Despite the vividly coloured undersides of many species,
Euphaedra are remarkably difficult to
see when at rest on the forest floor, among yellowing leaf litter.
Euphaedra
medon, Bobiri forest, Ghana
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