Semuliki National Park Butterflies

26/09/2025

I am undertaking a sampling session at Semuliki along with Sven Bontenbal a professional photographer (see his images on www.semulikibutterflies.com and www.observation.org) in early July 2026. If anyone is interested in joining us let us know. Joachim will be undertaking all logistics.

Opportunities to undertake research and promote education for the conservation of the butterflies of Semuliki National Park.

26/09/2025

Having collaborated with Robert Ducarme (NE Ituri Forest and DRC Semliki Valley) in working on our shared species (and subspecies) I have updated and finalised the currently recorded species at Semuliki - with a current total of 616 species. If anyone would like a copy of this document please message me.

16/04/2025

If while browsing the website anyone sees some information or thinks the data/species determination is incorrect, please let me know. That would be most appreciated.

16/04/2025

The recorded total butterfly species for Semuliki is now 614. The updated species records have been listed under the semulikibutterflies website tab 'Species Records and Additions'. There will also be amendments to some of the Semuliki subspecies that were incorrectly recorded in the initial checklist (Forbes, 2018). A number of Semuliki subspecies have been previously and wrongly identified, being clumped under 'Ugandan' subspecies where they should be identified as a Guineo-Congolian Central Forest block subspecies, sharing a subspecificity with this regional grouping. These will be identified shortly once my collaboration with Mr Robert Ducarme (Ituri Forest and DRC Semliki Valley specialist) on subspecies determinations has been completed.

14/07/2023

Detail of abundance and distributional data for individual species from field data gathered within the park during the PhD 'The ecology and conservation of a fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage in a Ugandan lowland rainforest' and from follow up sampling will now be presented here:

Relative abundance and spatial and temporal distribution of slected individual species

14/07/2023

The upload of all available images for the website https://www.semulikibutterflies.com has been completed. There have been a number of new records identified while reviewing both the images and reference material. There is now a revised total of 539 butterfly species for Semuliki, the additions can be found here:
https://www.semulikibutterflies.com/species-records-additions.

Both the Families Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae are severely under-represented and targeted samping for these families is recommended.

Opportunities to undertake research and promote education for the conservation of the butterflies of Semuliki National Park.

28/02/2022

A very productive 10 day dry season sampling period has just been completed at Semuliki National Park with Justice Olibokiriho and Joachim Mutesiba. 73 species were recorded from 28 traps from two transects located along the Kirumya and Red Monkey Trails. Baboon activity and fruit-feeding wasp activity impacted on the productivity of some traps at Kirumya.

Two dwarf specimens of B. safitza and B. procora were highly unusual. Some nice examples of B. safitza, dry and wet season forms being trapped together were recorded. B. flaminia was recorded for the second time only at Kirumya.

There has been extensive removal of the invasive Cedrela odorata tree from the forest margins near Kirumya and there was a pronounced lack of Papilio observations along these margins.

A report and species list has been presented to UWA HQ at Kampala and UWA Semuliki.

09/09/2021

My team and I are currently in negotiations with the Director of Conservation at UWA together with the Research and Monitoring Dept to continue the long-term monitoring of the fruit-feeding assemblage at Semuliki. So far the feedback has been positive from the presented proposal. Godfrey, the warden-in-charge at Semuliki, Justice and Joachim are all ready to get the project started once confirmation has been relayed.

09/09/2021

I am pleased to announce a new butterfly app has been created to identify and help document the fruit-feeding butterfly assemblage at Semuliki. In the first instance it will ease identifiication in the field of six genera Bebearia, Euriphene, Euphaedra, Cymothoe, Bicyclus and Charaxes which contribute to over 85% of the assemblage.

App functionality is made up of three actions - 1. Identify a species in the field. 2. Connect to the semulikibutterflies website. 3. Take an image in the field or pick one from the phone image gallery to upload to a firestore database for Semuliki species that are difficult to identify.

This app can be modified to allow any genera or protected area species to be identified in the field, assuming there are suitable images to allow for accurate identification for the species in question.

10/09/2020

The five new Euphaedra species (simplex, intermedia, ansorgei, ueleana and sinuosa) recorded at Semuliki, since the last published species list, have had their images uploaded onto the 'Semuliki National Park Butterflies' facebook group. Especially impressive is the E. uelana record where its restricted distribution of Uele in the DRC is over 500 km west of Semuliki.