Introduction
There are about 95 Bebearia species, all of which are found in the forests of the Afrotropics.
Bebearia barce is unlike most other members of the genus, having almost triangular forewings with glistening metallic hues which vary from yellowish-green to turquoise or blue according to the angle at which the sun reflects from their surface. The female is similar to the male, but has a prominent whitish sub-apical bar on the forewings.
The Shining Green Forester is distributed from Sierra Leone to Congo and western Uganda.
Habitats
This species is found in rainforest habitats, often in the vicinity of swamp palms.
Lifecycle
The larval foodplant is Hypselodelphis ( Marantaceae ).
Adult behaviour
The adults are scarce and secretive, and fly close to the ground in areas where dappled sunlight reaches the forest floor. Males perch in sunspots, on foliage or fallen branches, to await passing females. If disturbed by other butterflies or by human activity they fly to another nearby sunspot, but soon return to their original perch.
