LEPIDOPTERA
S A T Y R I D A E Boisduval, 1833
NEOPE Moore, 1866
Neope niphonica Butler, 1881
Neope niphonica Butler, 1881
· TYPE LOCALITY. "Japon".
· RANGE. Confined to Japan, Sakhalin and the S. Kuriles.
· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. S. Sakhalin, the S. Kuriles.
· TAXONOMIC NOTES. Both Neope taxa are variable and show no marked morpho-logical differences; possibly they should rather be regarded as ecological forms.
· HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Flying in the mountains in June. In Japan, it occurs in deciduous forests at 800-1,000 m a.s.l. from May to August in two generations. Host plant in Japan (Fukuda et al., 1983): Sasa palmata. Adults are obligatory nectar- or sap-feeders. Males are territorial in behaviour.
· SIMILAR SPECIES. N. goschkevitschae: UNF median band lightened inside, with a median bar which makes it look "8-shaped".
Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997