Butterflies of Mutinondo
With at least 205 species present, Mutinondo has nearly triple the number of butterflies recorded from the entirety of the U.K.
Mutinondo's natural wildlife includes many beautiful butterflies, with at least 205 species present, we have nearly triple the number recorded from the entirety of the U.K., including one species of Charaxes (Emperor) that has never been recorded anywhere else. Whether or not you are a passionate Lepidopterist, turning an eye to these colourful inhabitants of the wilderness area is sure to enhance any outing.
Mutinondo Wilderness has been extremely fortunate in that accomplished lepidopterists Colin Congdon and Ivan Bampton spent many days dedicated to searching the area for eggs and caterpillars of their endemic Charaxes butterfly. While doing so, they also found other interesting species, and were kind enough to provide the list below: A Provisional Checklist of the Butterflies of Mutinondo Wilderness, Colin Congdon, Ivan Bampton, Martin Hassani & Peter Walwanda, April 2005. (Some additions by William van Niekerk, following correspondence with Dr. Congdon, 2019).
Species of note found at Mutinondo include Charaxes mutinondo, a species known only from Mutinondo Wilderness and Kundalila Falls, and the Mutinondo subspecies of Coleus electo, which is unusually large with females of an unusual shade of yellow.
