''Pseudopontia'' is a genus of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

found only in wet forests of tropical Africa. It is the only genus in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Pseudopontiinae. It was traditionally thought to contain only one species (

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

), '' Pseudopontia paradoxa''. 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. It is considered

paradoxical A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true or apparently true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictor ...

because, despite being a true butterfly (''

Papilionoidea Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

''), its antennae do not have the characteristic clubbed ends which are otherwise diagnostic of butterflies (''

Rhopalocera Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

'').

Species

* '' Pseudopontia paradoxa'' R. Felder, 1869; found in rainforests in Cameroon, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Gabon * '' Pseudopontia australis'' F.A. Dixey, 1923 (formerly considered a subspecies); found in Democratic Republic of the 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 ''Pseudopontia mabira'' is a butterfly belonging to the family Pieridae. It is found in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Con ...

'' K. Mitter and S. Collins, 2011; found in central Africa: in Uganda and Democratic Republic of the 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 the Congo, Zambia, and Angola, at elevations over 800 m above sea level

References

*Plötz, C. (1870) Pseudopontia Calabarica n. gen. et n. sp. ''Stettiner Entomologischer Zeitung'', 31, 348–349, 1 pl. *Felder, R. (1869)

o title O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), ...

''Petites Nouvelles Entomologiques'', 1, 30–31. *Felder, R. (1870) Gonophlebia (Globiceps), Paradoxa (Felder). ''Petites Nouvelles Entomologiques'', 1, 95. *Dixey, F.A. (1923) Pseudopontia paradoxa: its affinities, mimetic relations, and geographical races. ''Proceedings of the Entomological Society (London)'', lxi–lxvii +plate B. *Mitter, K.T., Larsen, T.B., et al. (2011). The butterfly subfamily Pseudopontiinae is not monobasic: marked genetic diversity and morphology reveal three new species of Pseudopontia (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Systematic Entomology 36: 139-163.

External links

Pseudopontiinae
TOL

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Images representing ''Pseudopontia''
at

Consortium for the Barcode of Life The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...

Pieridae Pieridae genera Taxa named by Carl Plötz Taxa described in 1870 {{Pieridae-stub