Daimyo Skipper - Daimyo Skipper

A butterfly belonging to the order Lepidoptera, family Hesperiidae. It is found in the Japanese mainland (up to Kyushu) south of the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido, but not in the southwest islands south of Tanegashima and Yakushima. Outside of Japan, it is found in the Korean peninsula, China, Taiwan, and northern Myanmar. Its wingspan is about 35 mm. The upper side of the wings is black, and the forewings have several white, semi-transparent spots. Also, those found in the Kansai region, Shikoku, and Kyushu have white bands on the hindwings. Those with these white bands are called the Kansai type, and those without (or only vestigial) are called the Kanto type. In the Kanto plains and warm areas south of it, it occurs three times a year (May, early to mid-July, and mid- to late-August), while in the mountainous areas and areas north of it, it occurs only twice a year. This forest butterfly is often found along mountain roads along mountain streams, and likes to land on green leaves, spreading its wings horizontally as is the facultative habit of the subfamily Hesperiinae. The larvae feed on plants of the Dioscoreaceae family, such as Chinese yam, Japanese yam, and Japanese yam, and the larvae hide inside the rolled up or folded leaves. They spend the winter in the larval form.

[Takashi Shiramizu]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱鱗翅(りんし)目セセリチョウ科に属するチョウ。北海道渡島(おしま)半島以南の日本本土（九州まで）に分布するが、種子島(たねがしま)、屋久島(やくしま)以南の南西諸島には産しない。国外では朝鮮半島、中国、台湾、ミャンマー（ビルマ）北部などに分布する。はねの開張35ミリメートル内外。はねの表は地色黒色、前ばねには白色半透明の数個の白斑(はくはん)があり、また関西地方から四国、九州に産するものは後ろばねに白帯が現れる。この白帯の現れるものを関西型、この白帯のないもの（現れても痕跡(こんせき)的なもの）を関東型という。関東地方の平地およびそれ以南の暖地では年3回の発生（5月、7月上旬から中旬、8月中旬から下旬）、山地および以北の地域では年2回の発生にとどまる。林地のチョウで、渓流沿いの山道路傍などに多く、好んで緑葉上に止まるが、その場合はチャマダラセセリ亜科の通性としてはねを水平に広げる。幼虫の食草はヤマノイモ、オニドコロ、ツクネイモなどのヤマノイモ科植物で、幼虫は葉を巻き、あるいは綴(つづ)ってその中に潜んでいる。幼虫態で冬を越す。

［白水　隆］

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