Insects in Uganda
The world of mammals has for long reigned greatly over the interests of travelers. Whether in Africa or outside, mammals are usually the iconic highlights of places around the world. However, there lies distinct creatures within the mammalian environment that tend to complete but also spice up the food chain. These creatures although minute and elusive possess a plethora of distinguished characteristics and features that partly define them. Their name is…Insects!
Insects refer to a class of small terrestrial invertebrates that possess a hard exoskeleton, a segmented body and at least three pairs of jointed legs. According to Wikipedia, Insects are the the largest group of animals on earth by far: about 926,400 different species have been described. They are more than half of all known living species and cover over 90% of the animal species on earth. Although New species of insects are continually being found, current estimates stand at a range of between 2 to 30 million species in total.
Insect organisms are categorized into different orders, sub-orders and genera of significant numbers. It is estimated that there are 29 different orders of insect taxonomy. Common orders include:
- Beetles (order Coleoptera) these have the front pair of wings changed into a hard shell to protect the back wings.
- Butterflies and moths (order Lepidoptera) have large, often colorful wings.
- Flies (order Diptera) have only two wings.
- Ants, bees, and wasps (order Hymenoptera) sometimes have stingers and sometimes live in large colonies (like ant hills).
- True bugs (order Hemiptera) have a mouth that is long and narrow, like a drinking straw. This kind of mouth is called a beak.
- Grasshoppers (order Orthoptera) can usually jump with their legs. Eat grass and grain plants.
- Odonata, dragonflies and damselflies are top predators of other insects. Both aquatic nymphs and flying adults are carnivorous.
- Phasmatodea, the stick and leaf insects, is an order which is entirely based on camouflage. It includes the world’s longest insect, Chan’s megastick.
The importance of all such insects can only be as much appreciated as it underrated, due to the limited research and huge conservation efforts that befall them. One conservationist remarked, “Without the bees, there is no pollination. Without pollination, there are no flowers. Without flowers, there are no fruits. Without fruits, there is no food!” This statement sheds light on the importance of insects and tends to deserve a blue ribbon, in considering its significance.
Insects on a safari.
Insects are some of the most elusive organisms in general. Some are social while others operate a solitary kind of life. However, with keen and focus, insects can become another source of fun on a safari. From sights of ants lining up across the road to swarms of bees generating honey, it is your interests that cut you short. Some of the most commonly sought-after insects are the butterflies, owing to their beauty and colorful reflections to the human sclera. Butterflies tend to differ in both sizes and kinds just as in feeding and hide. It is this diversity in behavior that makes them very stunning creatures to behold and feel!
Butterfly tour.
It is estimated that 33% of Uganda is made of Afro tropical species which consist of more than 1,249 butterfly species with the exemption of subspecies that amount to about 700. 35 of all these species are said to be endemic to Uganda. A furthermore distinct 6 butterfly families have been observed and these include: 479 lycaenidae species, 447 nymphalidae species, 231 hesperiidae species, 99 pieridae, 31 papilionidae and Riodinidae species. Examples of some of them include: Graphium antheus, Papilio antimachus parva Jackson , Papilio zalmoxis hewitson, Papilio nireus Linnaeus, Papilio nireus pseudo nireus felder and felder among others. Surveys have indicated that at least 73% if these species occur in the country’s 30 Important Bird Areas.
Most of the butterfly species in Uganda fly during the day which makes them visible and observable to the eyes at a regular scale. In their brightly yet variously coloured wings, butterflies form an enduring spectacle of a beauty that vibrates right at the centre of human adventure and pleasure. The distinctiveness of their morphology is complimented by their artistic environment that is usually decorated by a plethora of plants and flowers from which they draw nectar as food. The smallest species are not larger than the fingernail and the biggest are larger than the smallest birds. Butterflies lay eggs and have a lifespan of between 20 to 40 days, although some have been seen to survive to up to 9 months. They belong to order Lepidoptera, and thus their cycle of life carries on 4 stages that move from egg, larva, pupa and then adult (caterpillar.) Butterflies are dark colored, can only see shining colors of green, yellow and red and are overcome by the need to absorb heat from the surrounding areas. Their survival instincts have seen them exhibit migratory behaviour and can currently be witnessed in areas of tropical rain forests within the country. Such forests include: Mabira, kibale, Bwindi, Budongo, Kalinzu and Mgahinga. Budongo forest is said to have an estimated 289 species of butterflies including the African Giant Swallow tail (Pipilio antimachus) which is Africa’s largest butterfly with a wing span of 20-23cm.
Some of the butterfly species you will come across include: buacraephasalus, bubebariachriemhilda, bubelonoisthysa, bubelenoistheora, bucatunacrithea and the buanthenelarydas among others.