Libythea labdaca

Description

Libythea labdaca, the African snout butterfly, is a member of the butterfly subfamily Libytheinae found in western and central Africa. Libythea laius was considered as a synonym earlier as it mostly similar to L. labdaca by sharing similar dorsal wing markings. But it differs from the latter in that the rectangular orange mark in discal cell apex is fused or separated from discal cell base. It forms vast migratory swarms (over 1 billion butterflies were estimated in Ghana). The butterflies move south in the spring and north in the autumn. The larvae feed on Celtis species (including C. kraussiana and C. sayauxii). - - -