Pseudopontiinae
Encyclopedia
Pseudopontia paradoxa is a species of butterfly
found only in wet forests of tropical Africa. It was traditionally thought to be the only species (monotypic
) in the genus
Pseudopontia and the subfamily Pseudopontiinae.
It is considered paradoxical because, despite being a true butterfly (Papilionoidea
), its antennae do not have the characteristic clubbed ends which are otherwise diagnostic of butterflies (Rhopalocera).
However, a recent study showed there are at least five species of Pseudopontia which can be distinguished genetically and by details of wing veins. Each is found primarily in a different part of Africa, though several of the species have overlapping geographic distributions.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
found only in wet forests of tropical Africa. It was traditionally thought to be the only species (monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
) in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Pseudopontia and the subfamily Pseudopontiinae.
It is considered paradoxical because, despite being a true butterfly (Papilionoidea
Papilionoidea
The superfamily Papilionoidea contains all the butterflies except for the skippers, which are classified in superfamily Hesperioidea, and the moth-like Hedyloidea....
), its antennae do not have the characteristic clubbed ends which are otherwise diagnostic of butterflies (Rhopalocera).
However, a recent study showed there are at least five species of Pseudopontia which can be distinguished genetically and by details of wing veins. Each is found primarily in a different part of Africa, though several of the species have overlapping geographic distributions.
Species
- Pseudopontia paradoxa R. Felder, 1869; found in rainforests in Cameroon, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Gabon
- Pseudopontia australis F.A. Dixey, 1923 (formerly considered a subspecies); found in Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa), Congo (Brazzaville), and eastern Gabon, usually at low elevation
- Pseudopontia gola S. Safian and K. Mitter, 2011; found in Sierra Leone and Liberia in far western Africa
- Pseudopontia mabira K. Mitter and S. Collins, 2011; found in central Africa: in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo within about 5 degrees latitude north and south of the Equator
- Pseudopontia zambezi K. Mitter and W. De Prins, 2011; found in riverine forests in the southern African highlands: in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Angola, at elevations over 800m above sea level