Noble butterfly
We are delighted that Manus Wittenhorst has taken over the sponsorship of the butterfly Euphaedra francina.
Euphaedra francina is a butterfly from the Nymphalidae family. Its wingspan is about 7.5 cm, basic colour is greenish, yellow transverse band in the upper part of the forewing with a black spot in the middle of the hindwing. The hind wings have a dark edge with light-coloured spots.
This butterfly occurs in the humid rainforests of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana (West).
The males show an interesting behaviour in the morning hours. They claim a "parade ground" for themselves, a strip about 25 to 30 metres long in the sunlight, in order to mate with approaching females. Due to the size of the area, there are often fights with neighbouring males.
They are endangered due to the destruction of the rainforests.