Of the tens of thousands of insects living in Guinean forests, only a few groups are relatively well known, in particular butterflies and dragonflies.
Butterflies
There are thousands of species of butterflies (Lepidoptera) in West Africa, divided into two main groups: moths (Heterocerans) and butterflies (Rhopalocerans).
There are more than 30 000 species of moths in sub-Saharan Africa, probably about half of which exist in West Africa.
There are nearly 1 500 species of butterfly in West Africa, i.e. more than a third of the 4 000 species known in sub-Saharan Africa. The exact number living in the forest or peri-forest zone is difficult to determine but certainly exceeds a thousand.
Butterflies are particularly important in forest ecosystems: as caterpillars, they are both plant predators and prey for many animals; they also play an essential role in the pollination of many flowers.
The Antimachus (Papilio antimachus), with a wingspan of up to 24cm, is the largest butterfly in Africa. It is rarely seen, except when it patrols the hilltops in search of females, as here in the East Nimba Nature Reserve. M. Languy
As for other groups, the rate of endemism among butterflies is high with at least 120 species endemic to Upper Guinea (limited to western Togo). In the Lower Guinea region, the area from the Cross River Loop to western Cameroon is exceptional: the region of Oban Hills and Korup forest alone is home to over 1 000 species, including several dozen of which are endemic.
The Odonata order includes two major groups: the Zygoptera, commonly called Damselflies, and the Anisoptera, called Dragonflies. There are over 300 species of Odonata in Upper and Lower Guinea.
Termites are social insects, living in hierarchical colonies organised in castes. By feeding on dead wood, termites play an important role in the plant cycle. Some species build large earthen nests called termite mounds.
