Bebearia Explained
Bebearia is a genus of brush-footed butterflies.[1] The species are confined to the Afrotropical realm, mainly in the Guinean Forests of West Africa and the Congolian forests.
The genus Bebearia closely resembles the allied genus Euphaedra in appearance. The females, especially, are very similar on their uppersides. The undersides of Bebearia however are invariably cryptically patterned and often resemble dead leaves. In Euphaedra the underside is usually yellow with black spots and pink basal patches. Euphaedra have orange palpi while those of Bebearia are brown. In Euphaedra the forewing apex is always rounded and not falcate (sickle shaped).[2] [3] The member species are diverse.
Taxonomy
The type species of the genus is Euryphene iturina Karsch.
Species groups
Defining species groups is a convenient way of subdividing well-defined genera with a large number of recognized species. Bebearia species are so arranged in assemblages called "species groups" but (not superspecies, but an informal phenetic arrangement). These may or may not be clades. As molecular phylogenetic studies continue, lineages distinct enough to warrant some formal degree of recognition become evident and new groupings are suggested, but consistent ranking remains a problem.
Species
- Subgenus Apectinaria Hecq, 1990
- The tentyris species group
- Bebearia abesa (Hewitson, 1869)
- Bebearia absolon (Fabricius, 1793)
- Bebearia amieti Hecq, 1994
- Bebearia carshena (Hewitson, 1871)
- Bebearia dallastai Hecq, 1994
- Bebearia languida (Schultze, 1920)
- Bebearia lucayensis Hecq, 1996
- Bebearia mandinga (C. & R. Felder, 1860)
- Bebearia micans Hecq, 1987
- Bebearia osyris (Schultze, 1920)
- Bebearia oxione (Hewitson, 1866)
- Bebearia partita (Aurivillius, 1895)
- Bebearia subtentyris (Strand, 1912)
- Bebearia tentyris (Hewitson, 1866)
- Bebearia zonara (Butler, 1871)
- The comus species group
- The mardania species group
- The sophus species group
- The barce species group
- The staudingeri species group
- The plistonax species group
- The elpinice species group
- Unknown species group
- Subgenus Bebearia
- The brunhilda species group
- Bebearia allardi Hecq, 1989
- Bebearia brunhilda (Kirby, 1889)
- Bebearia chriemhilda (Staudinger, 1895)
- Bebearia congolensis (Capronnier, 1889)
- Bebearia cottoni (Bethune-Baker, 1908)
- Bebearia dowsetti Hecq, 1990
- Bebearia fontainei Berger, 1981
- Bebearia fulgurata (Aurivillius, 1904)
- Bebearia hargreavesi D'Abrera, 1980
- Bebearia laetitioides (Joicey & Talbot, 1921)
- Bebearia schoutedeni (Overlaet, 1954)
- The severini species group
- Bebearia aurora (Aurivillius, 1896)
- Bebearia discors Hecq, 1994
- Bebearia improvisa Hecq, 2000
- Bebearia juno Hecq, 1990
- Bebearia kiellandi Hecq, 1993
- Bebearia laetitia (Plötz, 1880)
- Bebearia oremansi Hecq, 1994
- Bebearia peetersi Hecq, 1994
- Bebearia phranza (Hewitson, 1865)
- Bebearia severini (Aurivillius, 1898)
- Bebearia tessmanni (Grünberg, 1910)
- The flaminia species group
- The phantasia species group
- The cutteri species group
- Bebearia ashantina (Dudgeon, 1913)
- Bebearia barombina (Staudinger, 1895)
- Bebearia baueri Hecq, 2000
- Bebearia braytoni (Sharpe, 1907)
- Bebearia chilonis (Hewitson, 1874)
- Bebearia chloeropis (Bethune-Baker, 1908)
- Bebearia cutteri (Hewitson, 1865)
- Bebearia eliensis (Hewitson, 1866)
- Bebearia equatorialis Hecq, 1989
- Bebearia faraveli Oremans, 1998
- Bebearia innocua Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1889
- Bebearia jolyana Hecq, 1989
- Bebearia luteola (Bethune-Baker, 1908)
- Bebearia makala (Bethune-Baker, 1908)
- Bebearia octogramma (Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1889)
- Bebearia picturata Hecq, 1989
- Bebearia raeveli Hecq, 1989
- Unknown species group
- Unknown subgenus
References
External links
Notes and References
- http://atbutterflies.com/downloads/nymphalidae_adoliadini.doc Afrotropical Butterflies: Nymphalidae - Tribe Adoliadini
- Bernard d'Abrera, 2004 Butterflies of the Afrotropical Region, Part 2: Nymphalidae, Libytheidae SBN 978-0-947352-45-5
- Jacques Hecq, 2000, Schmetterlinge der Erde, Butterflies of the world Part IX (9), Nymphalidae IV -Bebearia. Edited by Erich Bauer and Thomas Frankenbach Keltern : Goecke & Evers ; Canterbury : Hillside Books. and Supplement 3 - Detailed text in French.