Abantis is an Afrotropical genus of skipper butterflies. They are also known as the paradise skippers. Their imagos are generally attractive with bold or colourful wing and/or body markings. They occur in either forest or savanna, and several species are very localized or thinly distributed. The territorial males are encountered more often than the females. Males engage territorial intruders, and are prone to very rapid and high flight, while females display more relaxed flight habits, closer to the ground. Plants of several families serve as food plants, and only one egg is oviposited per plant. The larva is pale and spotted to varying degrees, and pupates inside a leaf shelter drawn together by silk threads.
Hamilton Herbert Charles James Druce was an English entomologist who specialised in Lycaenidae and to a lesser extent Hesperiidae. He is not to be confused with his father, the English entomologist Herbert Druce (1846–1913) who also worked on Lepidoptera.
Acleros sparsum is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1909. It is found in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Abantis adelica, the western ragged skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ghana, Togo, northern Nigeria, north-western Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba), Malawi and possibly southern Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda. The habitat consists of Guinea savanna.
Abantis arctomarginata, the tricoloured paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Tanzania and Malawi.
Abantis bamptoni, Bampton's paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, western Tanzania, northern Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The habitat consists of deciduous woodland, including Brachystegia woodland.
Abantis bismarcki, Bismarck's paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, northern Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, southern Sudan, Uganda and western Kenya. The habitat consists of the transition zone between dry forests and Guinea savanna.
Abantis contigua, the contiguous paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, western Kenya and Zambia. The habitat consists of deciduous woodland.
Abantis efulensis is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Abantis elegantula, the elegant paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon. The habitat consists of forests, including forest-savanna mosaic.
Abantis eltringhami is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Cameroon.
Abantis leucogaster, the streaked paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. The habitat consists of primary forests and well-developed secondary forests.
Abantis lucretia, or Lucretia's paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. The species was first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1909. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Uganda. The habitat consists of forests.
Abantis nigeriana, the Nigerian paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Senegal, the Gambia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, southern Sudan and Gabon. The habitat consists of Guinea savanna.
Abantis meneliki is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti.
Abantis meru is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Kenya, where it is only known from the highlands east of the Rift Valley. It is part of the taxonomic subspecies of hesperiidae.
Abantis pseudonigeriana, the beige paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in eastern Senegal, Guinea, northern Sierra Leone, northern Ghana and Nigeria. The habitat consists of dry savanna.
Abantis rubra, the russet paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The habitat consists of forests.
Abantis vidua is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Shaba) and north-western Zambia. The habitat consists of deciduous woodland.
Abantis zambesiaca, the Zambezi paradise skipper, is a butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in western and southern Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (Shaba), Zambia, Malawi, Namibia (Caprivi), Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The habitat consists of savanna and Brachystegia woodland.
