Introduction
There are 72 described species in the genus Cymothoe, a group of large and magnificent butterflies commonly known as Gliders. The genus is entirely Afrotropical in distribution.
The males vary in colour, ranging from the pure white of caenis, and the deep ochreous yellow and chocolate brown of fumana, to the fabulous and aptly named Blood Red Glider sangaris.
Cymothoe egesta is distributed from Sierra Leone to Congo, Uganda and western Tanzania.
Habitats
This species is found in good quality rainforest.
Lifecycle
To be completed.
Adult behaviour
Males of egesta spend much of their time in the sub canopy. At Kakum for example I have spent long periods on the canopy walkway, looking down on males of mabillei, aubergeri and egesta gliding in wide circles around the sunlit upper branches of smaller trees. Fortunately the butterflies also descend to ground level occasionally, and with luck can be observed closely as they feed at decomposing fruits or other vegetable matter on the forest floor.