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Lepidoptery Butterflies

Mutinondo Wilderness has been extremely fortunate in that Colin Congdon and Ivan Bampton have spent many, many days dedicated to searching the area for eggs and caterpillars of their newly found Charaxes butterfly. Whilst doing this they have also found other interesting species. The recent find of a single specimen of Cycad Encephalartos schmitzii represents a considerable extension of the known range in Zambia.

A PROVISIONAL CHECKLIST OF THE BUTTERFLIES OF MUTINONDO WILDERNESS
COLIN CONGDON, IVAN BAMPTON, MAY 2003

*Abantis bamptoni. Widespread but little known. It is easier to find the caterpillars (on Uapaca) than the adults.
*Kedestes lema. Another little known skipper. Subspecies linka was previously known only from the Makutu Mountains, while subspecies lema is known from Lusaka and the type locality in southern DRC. Habitat woodland. Flies in February.
*Mylothris sagala albissima. Known from Mpika (type locality), Bwingi Mfumu, Shiwa Ng'andu and Mbala. Present in the mshitu, February.
*Acraea rhodesiana. Described as widespread in Zambia but uncommon. Flies round the edges of exposed rocks where its foodplant, Basananthe reticulata grows. This foodplant shared with Acraea omrora. Both species fly during the rains.
*Charaxes sp nr martini. Known from Mutinondo Wilderness and Kundalila Falls only. Was thought to be a race of Ch. gallagheri, but now that males have been taken it is seen to be nearer to Ch. martini from Mlanje in southern Malawi. Larval foodplant Diospyros natalensis.
*Zeritis sorhagenii. Very local. Open woodland. One specimen from across the Mushumfusi in November.
*Pilodeudorix bemba. The only confirmed record from Zambia. D'Abrera, working from the British Musem, had not seen any specimens. He commented that it was reputed to come from Brachystegia woodland in Shaba Province of Zaire, Zambia, and southern Tanzania. Berger (Les Papillions du Zaire) thought the type might be the then unknown female of Hypokopelates kafuensis, a view shared by Kielland (Butterflies of Tanzania). The authors of Butterflies of Zambia also doubted the existence of the species. There are, however, two males in addition to the type female, known to ABRI, Nairobi. They resemble P. kholi, but with a black forewing apex. We now have two more males, from the mshitu, in February.
*Abisara rogersi. Known from forests across the north of Zambia, and two males from along the Mushumfusi in early May. Foodplant almost certainly Maesa lanceolata.

Arch. & Anth.  I  Bird Watching  I  Botany  I  Local Geology  I  Mammals  I  Mushrooms  I  Research