Biodiversity Data Journal :
Taxonomic Paper
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Corresponding author: Sylvain Delabye (sylvain.delabye@gmail.com), Robert Tropek (robert.tropek@gmail.com)
Academic editor: Martin Wiemers
Received: 28 Jan 2020 | Accepted: 19 Feb 2020 | Published: 05 Mar 2020
© 2020 Sylvain Delabye, Vincent Maicher, Szabolcs Sáfián, Pavel Potocký, Jan Mertens, Łukasz Przybyłowicz, Mercy Murkwe, Ishmeal Kobe, Eric Fokam, Štěpán Janeček, Robert Tropek
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Delabye S, Maicher V, Sáfián S, Potocký P, Mertens JE.J, Przybyłowicz Ł, Murkwe M, Kobe IN, Fokam EB, Janeček Š, Tropek R (2020) First records of 31 species of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) in Cameroon, with remarks on their elevational ranges. Biodiversity Data Journal 8: e50543. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.8.e50543
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The biodiversity of West and Central Africa is understudied, including butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). Cameroon, through its position in between few biogeographic regions and diversity of habitats, is an important hotspot of lepidopteran diversity. However, the country also ranks low when it comes to local biodiversity knowledge. During our long-term ecological projects in the Cameroonian part of the Gulf of Guinea Highlands, we collected rich material of butterflies and moths, including a number of interesting faunistic records.
In this study, we report 31 species of butterflies and moths which have not yet been recorded in Cameroon. These species comprised eight new genera records for the country. In many cases, our records represented an important extension of the species’ known distribution, including ten species whose distribution ranges extended into the Guinean biogeographic region. We also comment on the species’ elevational distribution ranges on Mount Cameroon where most of our records originated. Additionally, we confirm the presence of a butterfly Telchinia encedena, after more than a century since its first and so far its only record in Cameroon.
Afrotropics, bait-trapping, Bamenda Highlands, faunistics, light-trapping, Mount Cameroon
West and Central Sub-Saharan Africa belong to the areas with the lowest knowledge on regional biodiversity on the continent. Although almost 3,000 taxa of moths (
Several recent ecological studies on lepidopteran communities in the Gulf of Guinea Highlands (e.g.
All reported butterfly and moth specimens were collected between 2008 and 2017 in Cameroon (Fig.
Nine sampled localities lie in the Mount Cameroon region, Fako Division, Southwest Region, Cameroon. Seven of these localities are on the south-western slope of Mount Cameroon inside the Mount Cameroon National Park, in tropical rainforests at different elevations. These represent mosaics of primary and secondary lowland forests (Bamboo Camp, 350 m a.s.l.; Drink Gari camp, 650 m a.s.l.), through upland (PlanteCam camp, 1,100 m a.s.l.) and submontane (Crater Lake camp, 1,450 m a.s.l.) forests locally disturbed by elephants, to montane forests (Elephant Camp, 1,850 m a.s.l.; Mapanja camp, 1,850 m a.s.l.; Mann’s Spring, 2,200 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Selected study sites in Cameroon.
The other two localities are situated in the Bamenda Highlands, Northwest Region, Cameroon. Mendong Buo, ca. 5 km south-east of Big Babanki, represents a mosaic of montane forest remnants, forest clearings dominated by Pteridium aquilinum, submontane grasslands maintained by cattle grazing and species‐rich scrub vegetation along streams (
The last three localities are in disturbed lowland forests across the country. Mundemba represents heavily disturbed secondary regrowth south of Mundemba, close to the Korup NP, Southwest Region. Ebogo is a disturbed lowland rainforest in the Ebogo Ecotouristic Site, ca. 80 km south of Yaounde, Centre Region. Lastly, close to Ebodje, South Region, butterflies were recorded in a secondary lowland forest.
All moths were attracted to light (see
Nomenclature and distribution of the reported species were based on the AfroMoths online database (
Erebidae, Arctiinae
A. holobrunnea was previously reported from Ghana and Guinea only (
Erebidae, Arctiinae
This species was known from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our record on Mount Cameroon has extended its western distribution and has evidenced the species from the Guinean biogeographic region. On Mount Cameroon, it is restricted to above 1,100 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Erebidae, Arctiinae
This species was known from Ghana, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. Hence, its distribution in Cameroon was thus expected, although never reported before. The only specimen was caught in montane forest (1,850 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Erebidae, Arctiinae
This species was previously known from the Congolian and Shaba biogeographic regions (
Erebidae, Arctiinae
This species was recently described from Gabon and considered as endemic to the country. Our record extended its known distribution to Cameroon, as well as to the Guinean biogeographic region. On Mount Cameroon, our records came from lowland forests only (350 and 650 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
The species was originally described as Balacra (Daphaenisca) inexpectata Durante & Zangrilli, 2016. The subgenus was formally raised to genus in
Erebidae, Arctiinae
This species was known from Ghana and Democratic Republic of Congo (Przybyłowicz and Bąkowski 2011). Our record confirmed its probable occurrence across the Afrotropical rainforest zone by partially filling the distributional gap. On Mount Cameroon, it was recorded from lowland to submontane forests (650 and 1,450 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Erebidae, Arctiinae
This species was reported from montane regions of Central (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Eastern (Kenya and Tanzania) Africa. Our record thus extended its known range to the Guinean biogeographic region. It was also the first record of Ligulosia genus in Cameroon. On Mount Cameroon, it has a relatively broad elevational distribution range (650–2,200 m a.s.l.), although most specimens were recorded at the higher elevations (Fig.
Erebidae, Arctiinae
P. spurrelli was reported only from Ghana and Kenya. Such scattered known distribution implies poor knowledge of the distributional range of the species. This is also the first record of the Palaeugoa genus in Cameroon. The two records from Mount Cameroon were made in lowland and upland forests (from 350 to 1,100 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Erebidae, Calpinae
This species was known from Gabon and Ghana only. This is also the first record of the Calligraphidia genus in Cameroon. The only specimen from Mount Cameroon was collected in montane forest (1,850 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Erebidae, Calpinae
This species was known from Gabon and Sierra Leone only. This record confirmed its broader distribution. This is also the first record of the Uripao genus in Cameroon. On Mount Cameroon, our only record came from the montane forests (1,850 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Erebidae, Lymantriinae
D. punctifera was known from several countries across Central and Eastern Africa (but none bordering with Cameroon), but also in Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa. In the Mount Cameroon region, it has a very broad elevational range from 30 m to 1,850 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Erebidae, Lymantriinae
This species was known from Ghana and Nigeria. Our record broadened its known distribution eastwards. In the Mount Cameroon region, we recorded it in all sampled lowland and upland forests up to 1,100 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Erebidae, Lymantriinae
Erebidae, Lymantriinae
This species was previously recorded only in Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe; our record thus partly filled the wide gap in its distribution. It is also the first record of the Orgyia genus in Cameroon. On Mount Cameroon, it was recorded in lowland and upland forests ranges from 350 to 1,100 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Erebidae, Lymantriinae
This species was known only from Uganda and Central African Republic. Our Cameroonian record thus broadened its distribution range westwards to the Guinean biogeographic region. On Mount Cameroon, it was collected in lowland forests at 350 and 650 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Erebidae, Lymantriinae
This species was known from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and South Africa. Our record in Cameroon is thus the westernmost for the species and extended its distribution to the Guinean biogeographic region. In the Mount Cameroon region, it was recorded in all studied lowland forests up to 650 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Eupterotidae, Janinae
The known distribution of this species already included the Guinean (Ghana) and Congolian (Gabon, Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo) biogeographic regions. The only specimen was collected in coastal forest at 30 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae
This species was reported from Ghana, Nigeria and Gabon. It is also the first record of Hypotrabala genus in Cameroon. In the Mount Cameroon region, it was collected in lowland forests up to 350 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae
This species was known from the Guinean (Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria) and Zambezian (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) biogeographic regions, with a large distribution gap in the Congolian biogeographic region. On Mount Cameroon, it was recorded in the submontane and montane forests between 1,450 and 1,850 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae
This species was already known from several countries in the Guinean and Congolian biogeographic regions, including Nigeria, Gabon and Congo bordering Cameroon. On Mount Cameroon, it was recorded in lowland forests at 350 and 650 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Notodontidae, Notodontinae
This species was known from the Guinean (Côte d’Ivoire) and Congolian (Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda) biogeographic regions. It is also the first record of the Archinadata genus in Cameroon. On Mount Cameroon, it was recorded in the lowland forests at 350 and 650 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Notodontidae, Notodontinae
This species was considered endemic to Gabon. Our record in Cameroon extended its distribution range into the Guinean biogeographic region. On Mount Cameroon, it occurred in lowland and upland forests between 350 and 1,100 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Notodontidae, Notodontinae
This species was known from the Guinean (Ivory Coast) and Congolian (Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) biogeographic regions. It is also the first record of the Gargettoscrania genus in Cameroon. On Mount Cameroon, it was collected in lowland (350 m a.s.l.) to submontane (1,450 m a.s.l.) forests (Fig.
Notodontidae, Notodontinae
This species was known from Gabon, Central African Republic and Tanzania. Our record from Cameroon thus broadened its known distribution westwards, as well as into the Guinean biogeographic region. In the Mount Cameroon region, it was collected in lowland forests (30 and 350 m a.s.l.), although one specimen was recorded in submontane forest (1,450 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Notodontidae, Notodontinae
This species was reported from the Congolian biogeographic region only (Central African Republic and Gabon). Our record extended its known distribution to the Guinean biogeographic region. On Mount Cameroon, it was recorded in lowland forests at 350 and 650 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae
The nominotypical subspecies is relatively common in the Guinean biogeographic zone (most countries along the seashore between Mauritania and Nigeria) and from the Southern African region and Madagascar. Our Cameroonian record thus extended its distribution to the easternmost edge of the Guinean biogeographic zone. In the Mount Cameroon region, it was recorded from coastal (30 m a.s.l.) and submontane forests (1,450 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae
This species was known to be widely distributed in the Guinean biogeographic region (most countries from Guinea to Nigeria) and in Gabon. In the Mount Cameroon region, it was collected in the two lowest localities (30 and 220 m a.s.l.) (Fig.
Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae
A. macaria was known from the western part of the Guinean biogeographic region only (most countries along the seashore between Senegal and Ghana). Our record from Cameroon therefore extended its distribution for over 1,000 km westwards to the easternmost edge of the Guinean biogeographic region. In the Mount Cameroon region, it was collected in the two lowest localities (30 and 220 m a.s.l.).
Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae
This relatively widespread species was recorded from numerous countries of the Guinean (from Senegal to Cameroon) and Congolian (Democratic Republic of the Congo) biogeographic regions, but also from the Ethiopian, Somalian, Zambezian and Shaba regions. In Cameroon, its only record was published by
Nymphalidae, Limenitidinae
This species was known from Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, both in the Congolian biogeographic region. Our record thus extended its distribution range northwards and evidenced its occurrence in the Guinean biogeographic region. On Mount Cameroon, it was collected mostly in the lowland forests at 350 and 650 m a.s.l.; one specimen was caught also in the upland forest at 1,100 m a.s.l. (Fig.
Nymphalidae, Limenitidinae
This species was previously known from the Guinean (from Guinea to Nigeria), Shaba, Zambezian and Sudanian biogeographic regions. Our record in Cameroon partly filled the gap in its known distribution. It was known as a relatively common species in many disturbed lowland forests in the surrounding countries (
This species was recorded from West Africa (from Guinea-Bissau to Nigeria) to Central (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Eastern Africa. Especially because it was already known from the Cross River State in Nigeria (
Altogether, the Lepidoptera species included in this study comprise 31 species and 8 genera new for the entomofauna of Cameroon, as well as a butterfly T. encedana that had not been recorded for more than a century in Cameroon. With the records from this study, the known diversity in Cameroon now surpasses 3,000 taxa for moths (species and subspecies combined;
Of the 31 species new for Cameroon, four are known from the Guinean biogeographic region only (
Several other species records included in this report are not surprising since they more or less expectedly fill gaps in their known distribution. Most expectedly, we recorded twelve species (such as A. makomensis and S. plagiatus) already known from the countries bordering Cameroon or some other nearby countries in the Guinean and Congolian regions (
Considering the elevational ranges of the reported species, 19 reported lepidopteran species were exclusively collected in lowland and upland forests (between 30 and 1,100 m a.s.l) on Mount Cameroon, while records of five moth species were restricted to submontane and montane forests (between 1,450 and 2,100 m a.s.l.). Consequently, given that the local lepidopteran diversity is known to be higher at lower elevations (differing amongst the lepidopteran groups but always up to 1,100 m a.s.l.;
In conclusion, our report of numerous butterfly and moth species and genera, previously not known to occur in Cameroon, highlights the relatively poor knowledge on the local and regional diversity of Afrotropical Lepidoptera. Moreover, some of these records represent a substantial extension of the individual species’ known distribution. Altogether, we encourage the collection and publishing of similar faunistic data on lepidopteran occurrence from the Afrotropical countries.
We are grateful to Francis E. Luma, Eliška Chmelová, Petra Janečková, Zuzana Musilová, Ernest Vunan Amohlon and numerous other colleagues and field assistants for their help in the field; the Mount Cameroon National Park staff for their support; and Tomasz Pyrcz and his team at the Nature Education Centre, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, for setting and curating our Lepidoptera material; Karolina Fok and Magdalena Kawałkowska for taking pictures of Daphaenisca inexpectata. Our sampling was permitted by the Ministries of the Republic of Cameroon for Forestry and Wildlife and for Scientific Research and Innovation. Our projects were funded by the Czech Science Foundation (20-16499S), Charles University (PRIMUS/17/SCI/8 and UNCE204069), University of South Bohemia (GAJU030/2016/P and 152/2016/P) and Institute of Entomology, BC CAS (RVO:60077344).
SD, VM, SzS, PP, JEJM, MM, INK, ŠJ and RT collected the materials. SD, VM, SzS, ŁP, MM and RT identified the sampled specimens. JEJM photographed the specimens. SD and RT led the manuscript writing and all co-authors participated in the manuscript writing and approved its submission.