''Abantis'' is an
Afrotropical
The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...
genus of
skipper butterflies.
They are also known as the paradise skippers.
Their
imago
In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the f ...
s are generally attractive with bold or colourful wing and/or body markings. They occur in either forest or savanna, and several species are very localized or thinly distributed.
The territorial males are encountered more often than the females. Males engage territorial intruders, and are prone to very rapid and high flight, while females display more relaxed flight habits, closer to the ground.
Plants of several families serve as food plants, and only one egg is oviposited per plant. The larva is pale and spotted to varying degrees, and pupates inside a leaf shelter drawn together by silk threads.
Species
*''
Abantis adelica''
(Karsch, 1892)
*''
Abantis amneris
''Leucochitonea amneris'' is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Tanzania, from Mount Kilimanjaro to Njombe and Tabora
Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian gove ...
''
(Rebel & Rogenhofer, 1894)
*''
Abantis arctomarginata''
Lathy, 1901
*''
Abantis bamptoni''
Collins & Larsen, 1994
*''
Abantis bicolor
''Abantis bicolor'', the bicoloured skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae and the subfamily Pyrginae. Described in 1864 and endemic to South Africa, the bicoloured skipper is restricted to lowland forests from the Eastern Cape to the ...
''
(Trimen, 1864)
*''
Abantis bismarcki''
Karsch, 1892
*''
Abantis canopus
''Abantis'' is an Afrotropical genus of skipper butterflies. They are also known as the paradise skippers. Their imagos are generally attractive with bold or colourful wing and/or body markings. They occur in either forest or savanna, and seve ...
''
(Trimen, 1864)
*''
Abantis cassualalla''
(Bethune-Baker, 1911)
*''
Abantis contigua''
Evans, 1937
*''
Abantis efulensis''
Holland, 1896
*''
Abantis elegantula''
(Mabille, 1890)
*''
Abantis eltringhami''
Jordan, 1932
*''
Abantis hindei''
(Druce, 1903)
*''
Abantis ja''
Druce, 1909
*''
Abantis leucogaster''
(Mabille, 1890)
*''
Abantis levubu
''Abantis'' is an Afrotropical genus of skipper butterflies. They are also known as the paradise skippers. Their imagos are generally attractive with bold or colourful wing and/or body markings. They occur in either forest or savanna, and seve ...
''
(Wallengren, 1857)
*''
Abantis lucretia''
Druce, 1909
*''
Abantis meneliki''
Berger, 1979
*''
Abantis meru''
Evans, 1947
*''
Abantis nigeriana''
Butler, 1901
*''
Abantis paradisea
''Abantis paradisea'', the paradise skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in KwaZulu-Natal, Zululand, Transvaal, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and from Botswana to Somalia.
The wingspan is 40–45 mm for males and 43–55&nb ...
''
(Butler, 1870)
*''
Abantis pillaana''
(Wallengren, 1857)
*''
Abantis pseudonigeriana''
Usher, 1984
*''
Abantis rubra''
Holland, 1920
*''
Abantis tanobia''
Collins & Larsen, 2005
*''
Abantis tettensis''
Hopffer, 1855
*''
Abantis venosa
''Abantis venosa'', the veined skipper or veined paradise skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Zululand, Eswatini, Transvaal, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda.
The wingspan is 36–41 mm for males and 35–45 mm ...
''
Trimen, 1889
*''
Abantis vidua''
Weymer, 1901
*''
Abantis zambesiaca''
(Westwood, 1874)
References
External links
Seitz, A. ''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 76
Tagiadini
Hesperiidae genera
Taxa named by Carl Heinrich Hopffer
{{Pyrginae-stub