The largely unexplored wilderness of Salonga National Park allows fascinating discoveries: because many areas where no explorer has yet come still exist!
Thus, the discovery of new species in Salonga is only just beginning and we can look forward to many more findings.
As part of a study, a team of researchers discovered a butterfly species in Salonga in 2016.
Stempfferia salonga
Stempfferia salonga is one of probably well over one-thousand butterfly species that the park harbours and the first one recognised among other undescribed species that likely still hide deep in the Congo Basin forests.
S. salonga has been found in Monkoto on Luilaka River in the buffer zone of Salonga National Park.
It was rather frequent in Monkoto village around prominent ant-infested trees, which were planted during the Belgian colonial times as a tree-avenue, between the town and the small port on the Luilaka River.
There are more than 1,300 different species of butterflies in the DRC – in no other country worldwide this number is larger.
Butterflies play a crucial role in flower pollination. Their feet help them to taste their food as well as smell to help in mating.
Most butterflies spend their lifetimes eating and mating. The females lay eggs on the plants that would be a good meal for the future caterpillars.
Fun facts about butterflies.
A butterfly can see things up to 12 feet far, and anything farther becomes blurry. They mostly see reds, greens and yellows.
They use the colours on their wings to camouflage in the plants and also to attract potential mates in their close radius.
Haven’t you wondered where do the butterflies go at night? Not all species disappear at nights, but most of them will fly during the day. But there is one tricky part here. They are cold-blooded creatures, and the optimum body temperature of 82 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit is required for them to be able to fly. Hence, when it’s cold, they need to soak up in the sun to warm up their body until they can fly.
Butterflies get their erratic wing flapping pattern from contracting the muscles in their body. The smart thing about their flying pattern is that the birds and predators cannot predict the direction in which they will fly. Many butterflies can fly at a speed ranging from 5-12 miles per hour.
