''Coeliades'' is a genus of large
skipper butterflies
Skippers are a group of butterflies placed in the family Hesperiidae within the order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea, but have since been placed in the superfamily Papilion ...
(
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Hesperiidae) found in
Subsaharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African countries and territ ...
. They are commonly known as policemen.
Species
Listed alphabetically.
[Williams, Mark (2008) Butterflies and Skippers of the Afrotropical Region. An Encyclopedia. Seventh Edition. File 0.]
* ''
Coeliades aeschylus''
(Plötz, 1884) – Senegal blue policeman
* ''
Coeliades anchises''
(Gerstaecker, 1871) – one pip policeman
* ''
Coeliades bixana''
Evans, 1940 – dark blue policeman
* ''
Coeliades bocagii''
(Sharpe, 1893)
* ''
Coeliades chalybe''
(Westwood, 1852) – blue policeman
* ''
Coeliades ernesti''
(Grandidier, 1867)
* ''
Coeliades fervida''
(Butler, 1880)
* ''
Coeliades fidia''
Evans, 1937
* ''
Coeliades forestan
''Coeliades forestan'', the striped policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Transkei to Zimbabwe and to Botswana. It is also present on Madagascar and Mauritius.
The wingspan is 45–55 mm for males and 55–64 ...
''
(Stoll, 782 – striped policeman
* ''
Coeliades iphis
''Coeliades'' is a genus of large skipper butterflies (family Hesperiidae) found in Subsaharan Africa. They are commonly known as policemen.
Species
Listed alphabetically.Williams, Mark (2008) Butterflies and Skippers of the Afrotropical Region. ...
''
(Drury, 1773) (transfer from monotypic ''
Pyrrhochalcia
''Pyrrhochalcia'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Hesperiidae. It contains only one species, ''Pyrrhochalcia iphis'', the African giant skipper, which is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, ...
'', per Zhang et al 2023).
* ''
Coeliades hanno
''Coeliades hanno'', the three pip policeman or western policeman, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko), São Tomé ...
''
(Plötz, 1879) – western policeman, three pip policeman
* ''
Coeliades keithloa
''Coeliades keithloa'', the red-tab policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Ethiopia south to South Africa.
The wingspan is 58–64 mm for males and 61–66 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round in ...
''
(Wallengren, 1857) – red tab policeman
* ''
Coeliades libeon
''Coeliades libeon'', the spotless policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. The species was first described by Herbert Druce in 1875. It is found in tropical Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and is an uncommon migrant to South Africa.
T ...
''
(Druce, 1875) – spotless policeman
* ''
Coeliades lorenzo
''Coeliades lorenzo'', the Lorenzo red-tab policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in South Africa in the Maputaland forests of northern KwaZulu-Natal, and northwards into Mozambique.
The wingspan
The wingspan (or ...
''
Evans, 1947 – Lorenzo red tab policeman
* ''
Coeliades pisistratus
''Coeliades pisistratus'', the two-pip policeman, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae that occurs commonly in much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Habitat
It occurs in savanna, forest edge and in coastal bush. It is found from sea level in the sout ...
''
(Fabricius, 1793) – two pip policeman
* ''
Coeliades rama
''Coeliades'' is a genus of large skipper (butterfly), skipper butterflies (family (biology), family Hesperiidae) found in Subsaharan Africa. They are commonly known as policemen.
Species
Listed alphabetically.Williams, Mark (2008) Butterflies a ...
''
Evans, 1937
* ''
Coeliades ramanatek
''Coeliades ramanatek'' is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found on Madagascar and the Comoros
The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, loc ...
''
(Boisduval, 1833)
* ''
Coeliades sejuncta
''Coeliades sejuncta'', the coast policeman or ochreous-banded policeman, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found along the coast of Kenya and in Tanzania (from the coast inland to Amani and also in the Kigoma district), southern Ma ...
''
(Mabille & Vuillot, 1891) – coast policeman, ochreous-banded policeman
References
Seitz, A. ''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 75
Coeliadinae
Hesperiidae genera
Taxa named by Jacob Hübner
Taxa described in 1818
{{Hesperiidae-stub