Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary Poster

How many butterfly species are in Ghana?
Known Butterfly Species in the World
by Biogeographic Region
Neotropical
Afrotropical
Oriental
Palearctic
Papuan/Australian
Nearctic
8000
3800
2700
2000
1000
700
The Afrotropical Region is second only to
the Neotropics (i.e., Central and South
America) in terms of the number of
butterfly species that occur. Ghana has
about 900 species. Over ⅓ of these
described species are considered rare or
very rare. It is estimated that about 5% of
Ghana’s butterfly species, those that are
especially rare, have yet to be discovered.
Ghana’s butterflies are overwhelmingly forest-dwelling
species (~730 of 900). Most forest butterfly species
generally do not venture far (if at all) into non-forested
areas. Most savanna or open habitat butterfly species
do not venture far (if at all) into forested areas. The
butterflies you see around Bobiri guesthouse are a
mixture of open habitat species and forest species.
Salamis parhassus, the Forest Mother-ofPearl. This is one of Ghana’s largest and
most beautiful species. The upper wing
surface is silvery-white and is cast with a
purplish sheen. It is a generally common
species and can often be seen flying in
the forest.
Bobiri Forest Reserve is an example of the moist semideciduous forest habitat subtype (the other subtypes
are wet evergreen, moist evergreen, and dry semideciduous). Some of Ghana’s forest butterflies do not occur at Bobiri
because they require wetter conditions.. Nearly 500 butterfly species have
been documented in Bobiri forest. Additional species likely exist here and
would be uncovered from more exhaustive surveys of the forest.
Why create a butterfly sanctuary?
Forest reserves in Ghana
Bobiri
o
g
To
Co
te d
Forest reserve condition
’Ivo
1 Excellent
ire
2 Good
3 Partly degraded
4 Mostly degraded
From: Hawthorne & Abu-Juam (1995)
Forest Protection in Ghana. IUCN Publ.
5 Poor
No significant forest
Ghana’s forests are among the most
critically imperiled in the world and
also among the most biologically
unique. It is estimated that 80-90% of
original forest cover has been
destroyed. Virtually no forest cover
remains outside existing forest
reserves. Some reserves no longer
even have any forest left. As forest
habitat disappears, so too do forest
dependent species, such as Bobiri’s
forest butterflies.
Bobiri butterfly sanctuary was the brainchild of Dr. Joe Cobbinah, Director,
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, and Dr. Mike Wagner, Professor,
Northern Arizona University, USA. This sanctuary was created to provide 1)
protection for the species that live here, 2) an income source, which helps
promote sustainable use of forest biodiversity, and 3) a place where
Ghanaians and foreign nationals alike can learn about and enjoy the country’s
unique and beautiful forest communities.
What do butterflies eat?
Most butterflies take in nourishment by sucking
fluids through their proboscis or “tongue”. You
are probably most familiar with the nectar feeders,
that is, the butterflies that visit flowers. But many
butterflies do not feed on nectar. About ¼ of
Ghana’s butterfly species never visit flowers.
These species feed, instead, on rotting or
fermenting fruit. The large majority of fruit-feeding
species in Ghana are forest dependent species.
You will cause many of these to “startle up” as
you walk along the forest trails. Did you know that
some butterflies actually also feed on excrement
and/or animal carcasses?
Three forest species feeding on fruit that has fallen to
the forest floor. Euphaedra perseis (top). Bebearia
mardania (bottom left) and Bebearia zonara (bottom
right).
Many butterflies also puddle on wet sand or mud,
where they take up water, minerals, and amino
acids. Often large numbers will gather at a single
spot and fly up en masse when disturbed.
The two individuals below belong to the family,
Lycaenidae. Members of this family are nectar
feeders and are very small. The many types of
tiny butterflies you see flying at Bobiri are
Lycaenids. In fact there are more Lycaenids in the
world then any other type of butterfly. Nearly ⅓ of
Ghana’s butterflies are Lycaenids.
Papilio nireus male puddling along the road to Bobiri
Butterfly Sanctuary. This is a common forest
species that visits flowers. The wings on the upper
side of this butterfly are black and traversed by
bright green bands; hence, its common name, the
Narrow-Banded Green Swallowtail.
The male of Nepheronia thalassina is a beautiful duck’s-egg-blue.
These are common visitors to the flower gardens at Bobiri.
Why do unrelated species look alike?
Many butterfly species resemble each
other in color and pattern. This is
known as mimicry and results slowly
over time from natural selection. Non
toxic species mimic (resemble) species
that are toxic or taste bad. Predators
then avoid both species even though
the mimetic species could be eaten
without harmful results. Ghana has
many mimetic species. Papilio
dardanus, a common visitor to flowers
at Bobiri, is a spectacular example of
mimicry. P. dardanus males all look the
same, but there are at least 14 different
female forms in sub-Saharan Africa all
of which resemble unrelated species!
Some mimetic species
found in Ghana. ABOVE:
Papilio dardanus male (top
left) and P. dardanus female
(top right). Amauris niavius
(bottom left) and P.
dardanus female (bottom
right). RIGHT: Left column,
top to bottom: Acraea
vestalis male, Acraea
macaria male, Acraea
alcinoe female, Acraea
epaea male, Acraea epaea
female ... Right column:
Five different mimetic forms
of Pseudacraea eurytus.
Butterfly Behaviors
Butterflies display a number of interesting
behaviors, many of which are associated
with finding and selecting a mate. Males
locate females either by patrolling areas
where females feed or lay eggs, or by
perching along “flyways” in wait. Perching
males will vigorously defend their space by
“fighting” and actively chase other males
away. Mating often involves a series of
behaviors in which the male “courts” the
female. Few females in nature are unmated
because males will check out any butterfly
that fits a basic image and attempt to mate
with any female of the right species. In some
species males will even collect on the pupal
case or chrysalis of a female and wait for her
to become an adult and emerge. Only the
most competitive male gains access to the
female. You may see a butterfly flying from
plant to plant after briefly alighting on leaves
of each. Butterflies “taste” with their “feet”
and this is a female searching for the
appropriate host on which to lay an egg.
Euriphene barombina (above) is a common fruit-feeding forest
butterfly at Bobiri. The male is easily recognizable because of
its distinctive blue color and set of white dots. Females are
brown and orange with a white stripe across the forewing and
look nothing like the males. Euphaedra medon (below) is
another very common fruit-feeding forest species. There are
approximately 75 Euphaedra species in West Africa. Both of
these males are “perched” on plants in sunny spots along one
of Bobiri’s trails.
ABOVE LEFT: Bebearia zonara male courting a B. zonara female. The male is hovering near the female, rapidly fluttering his wings. Intermittently, he will make physical
contact by “shoving” the female. He is likely giving off pheromones (sex hormones) during the whole courting process. If she is receptive, they will mate. ABOVE
CENTER: Kallimoides rumia, the African Leaf Butterfly, perched in typical position, i.e., head down on broad leaves about 2-3 meters above the ground. K. rumia is fond
of palm wine and this particular individual is hanging out at one of the palm wine-tapper’s camps in the forest ABOVE RIGHT: Palla decius perched on a tree along the
main Bobiri road. P. decius is a member of the Charaxinae subfamily. The Charaxinae are large, robust, strong flying butterflies that are especially attracted to
excrement.
Credits
The current checklist of butterfly species at Bobiri
was compiled by Dr. Torben Larsen (left) in
conjunction with research for his book, Butterflies of
West Africa (Apollo Books, Svenborg, Denmark,
October 2005). Dr. Larsen also provided the plates
depicting examples of mimicry. The photo of
Nepheronia thalassina, was shot by Sky Stephens.
The photographer of the Larsen photo is unknown.
All other photos are by the author, J. L. Bossart, who
also assumes responsibility for any factual errors.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute,
IN, USA) graciously printed these posters free of
charge.