A first record of Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764) from nortwest Africa (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57065/shilap.1133Keywords:
Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Hypolimnas misippus, geographic distribution, migration, Sahara, AlgeriaAbstract
The Lepidoptera fauna of Algeria is well documented in Mediterranean regions but remains poorly known across the country’s Saharan expanse. We report the first confirmed record of Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764) in northwestern Africa, based on a solitary male observed and photographed in the Ikenouine wetland in Illizi Province, southeastern Algeria. A notable migrant, the status of this species at the edges of its range remains fluid. The Ikenouine specimen is plausibly a naturally dispersed stray from sub-Saharan Africa. Several host plants associated with H. misippus are documented in the broader region. The presence of H. misippus at Ikenouine suggests that Saharan wetlands, including those in the Ahaggar and Tassili n’Ajjer massifs, may represent ecological refuges and dispersal stepping-stones along a northward route from sub-Saharan Africa. This record underlines the importance of continued field investigations in remote desert areas of Algeria to better understand Lepidoptera distributions and biogeographic patterns in the region.
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