Bematistes epaea, the common bematistes, is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It is found in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. The habitat consists of forests and dense Guinea savanna. The larvae feed on Lindaeckeria schweinfurthii, Lindaeckeria dentata and Adenia cisampelloides.