''Abantis'' is an
Afrotropical
The Afrotropical realm is one of the Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopi ...
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 ("imaginal" being "imago" in adjective form), the stage in wh ...
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.
References
Endemic fauna of Tanzania
Butterflies described in 1894
Tagiadini
Butterflies of Afric ...
''
(Rebel & Rogenhofer, 1894)
*''
Abantis arctomarginata
''Abantis arctomarginata'', the tricoloured paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Tanzania (from the south-central part of the country to Iringa) and Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, ...
''
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 sev ...
''
(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
''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 sev ...
''
(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 sev ...
''
(Wallengren, 1857)
*''
Abantis lucretia
''Abantis lucretia'', or Lucretia's paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. The species was first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1909. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the ...
''
Druce, 1909
*''
Abantis meneliki''
Berger, 1979
*''
Abantis meru''
Evans, 1947
*''
Abantis nigeriana''
Butler, 1901
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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 for males and for females. Adults are ...
''
(Butler, 1870)
*''
Abantis pillaana''
(Wallengren, 1857)
*''
Abantis pseudonigeriana''
Usher, 1984
*''
Abantis rubra''
Holland, 1920
*''
Abantis tanobia
''Abantis tanobia'', the Ghana paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in western Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the ...
''
Collins & Larsen, 2005
*''
Abantis tettensis
''Abantis tettensis'', the spotted velvet skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in South-West Africa, Botswana, Transvaal, northern Cape, from Zimbabwe to Zaire and in Kenya.
The wingspan is 35–40 mm for males and ...
''
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
''Abantis vidua'' is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( Shaba) and north-western Zambia
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads o ...
''
Weymer, 1901
*''
Abantis zambesiaca
''Abantis zambesiaca'', the Zambezi paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in western and southern Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo ( Shaba), Zambia, Malawi, Namibia ( Caprivi), Mozambique and Zimbabwe. ...
''
(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