Cymothoe althea Cramer 1779

Cymothoe althea (Cramer)
Papilio althea Cramer, 1776 [1775-1791], 1: 141; pi. 89, figs. E and F (9, Guinea
Coast). = Papilio amphicede Cramer, 1777 [1775-1791], 2: 80; pi. 146, figs. D and E (8,
Guinea Coast). A series of 22 males and 13 females I took in Liberia respectively agree with Cramer's two figures cited above. Since 15 of the males and 12 of the females all were taken within a limited forest stand (Farwein "devil bush", near Harbel), and since the underside patterns match so well, it seems certain that the sexes are correctly associated.
I have not seen specimens from elsewhere than Liberia, nor have I found any reference to it from any other area. It appears at present to be endemic to Liberia, but probably is distributed also in adjoining forests in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast.
Since Buttikofer (1890) and Sharpe (1906) recorded both althea (Drury) and jodutta (Westwood), is. seems likely that they had this species under one or the other name.
Liberia: Harbel, 1 $ , II, 1 $ , III, 1 $ , IV, 4 8,1 2 , V, 7 8 ,
II 2 , VI, 1 8 , VII; Fish Lake, 1 8 , XII; Gbanga, 1 2 , VII; Ganta,
I 8 , V, 2 8 , VI; Wanau Forest, 1 6 , X; Zorzor, 1 8 , XI; Yendamalahoun, 1 $ , IV (Fox); Grand Cess, 1 8 (Naysmith); Buttikofer (1890), Sharpe (1906) as either althea (Drury) or jodutta (Westwood ) .

Cymothoe althea, the western glider, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria. The habitat consists of wetter forests.