Butterflies of
Africa
Banded Evening Brown
Gnophodes betsimena
BOISDUVAL, 1833
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
SATYRINAE
Tribe - MELANITINI
Gnophodes betsimena,
Bobiri forest, Ghana
Introduction
The genus
Gnophodes comprises of 3 known species :
G. betsimena and chelys
are both widely distributed across the forested regions of sub-Saharan Africa,
with chelys having a more western distribution,
being found from Sierra Leone to western Kenya. The third species
grogani is found in Uganda, Congo and Rwanda.
The butterflies ( together with
the allied genus Melanitis ) are commonly known as
Evening Browns due to their preference for flying after dark.
Habitats
Gnophodes betsimena is a forest butterfly but it can
be found in degraded forest and plantations.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplant is the grass
Ehrharta erecta.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies are normally found singly, when disturbed from
their resting places in the forest undergrowth. They fly mainly in
the early part of the evening and sometimes enter houses,
attracted by artificial lighting, but can occasionally be seen
flying in daylight if conditions are overcast.
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