Neptis
Neptis is a large genus of butterflies of Old World tropics and subtropics. They are commonly called sailer butterflies or sailers, or more precisely typical sailers to distinguish them from the related blue sailer.
Description
The head is rather broad and moderately hairy on the forehead. The eyes are large and prominent. The palpi are short, acute, slender, hairy, and do not rise above the level of the forehead. The antennae are moderately long, terminating in an elongate, gradually-formed club, flattened on its upper surface. The thorax is not robust and it is as broad as the head and slightly hairy posteriorly. The wing characters are: forewings elongate, rather truncate; costa only slightly arched; apex not acute, but well marked; hind margin slightly convex and sinuated; anal angle distinct; inner-margin convex near base, slightly concave about middle. Hindwings large, rounded; costa strongly arched; hind margin moderately dentate; inner margins only slightly convex, not covering posterior portion of the abdomen. Upperside patterning consists of white spots and bars on a black ground colour. Underside patterns are yellowish to reddish brown, alternating with white bands The legs are rather short and stout. The abdomen is slender, much compressed and rather elongate.The head of the larva is very large and bifid on its summit. There is a pair of downy, elongate, tubercular processes, projecting laterally, on both the second and third segments—those on the third segment are much longer. There is an upright pyramidal process on the penultimate segment and the body is attenuated posteriorly.
The pupa is strongly curved. The head is deeply bifid.
Distribution
About 65 species occur in the Afrotropical realm, over 40 in the Palearctic realm 6 in the Australasian realm and about 50 occur in the Indomalayan realm.Habitat
Neptis are forest, including rainforest and secondary forest, butterflies. They are also found in lightly wooded areas and gardens.Biology
Larval food plants come from the families Fabaceae, Rhamnaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Polygonaceae, Sapindaceae, Urticaceae and Connaraceae.Adults have a "sailing" flight flapping their wings and then gliding. They frequently perch and visit flowers for nectar and damp patches where they imbibe salts and other nutrients. Adult uppersides exhibit disruptive coloration, This species has been observed to make sounds whose function has not been established.
Taxonomy
Neptis are allied to Pantoporia, in which the white wing markings are replaced by orange and to Athyma resemble Neptis but have more triangular forewings. The type species of the genus is Papilio aceris Esper.Species
Species include:- Neptis agatha Cramer 1782Neptis agouale Pierre-Baltus, 1978Neptis alta Overlaet, 1955Neptis alwina Bremer & Grey, 1853Neptis amieti Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis ananta Moore, 1858 – yellow sailerNeptis angusta Condamin, 1966Neptis anjana Moore, 1881 – rich sailerNeptis antilope Leech, 1892 – variegated sailerNeptis arachne Leech, 1890Neptis armandia Oberthür, 1876Neptis aurivillii Schultze, 1913Neptis beroe Leech, 1890Neptis biafra Ward, 1871Neptis brebissonii Boisduval, 1832Neptis camarensis Schultze, 1917Neptis carcassoni van Son, 1959 – Carcasson's streaked sailerNeptis carlsbergi Collins & Larsen, 2005Neptis carpenteri Eltringham, 1922Neptis cartica Moore, 1872 – plain sailerNeptis celebica Moore, 1899 - Celebes sailerNeptis choui Yuan & Wang, 1994Neptis clarei Neave, 1904 – Clare's sailerNeptis claude Collins & Larsen, 2005Neptis clinia Moore, 1872 – clear sailerNeptis clinioides de Nicéville, 1894Neptis columella Neptis comorarum Oberthür, 1890Neptis conspicua Neave, 1904Neptis constantiae Carcasson, 1961 – Constance's sailerNeptis continuata Holland, 1892Neptis cormilloti Turlin, 1994Neptis cydippe Leech, 1890 – Chinese yellow sailerNeptis cymela C. & R. Felder, 1863Neptis decaryi Le Cerf, 1928Neptis dejeani Oberthür, 1894Neptis dentifera Schultze, 1917Neptis divisa Oberthür, 1908Neptis dumetorum Boisduval, 1833Neptis duryodana Moore, 1858Neptis eltringhami Joicey & Talbot, 1926Neptis esakii Nomura, 1935Neptis exaleuca Karsch, 1894Neptis felisimilis Schröder & Treadaway, 1983Neptis frobenia Neptis goochi Trimen, 1879 – streaked sailerNeptis gracilis Neptis gratiosa Overlaet, 1955
- †Neptis guamensis Swinhoe, 1916Neptis guia Chou & Wang, 1994Neptis harita Moore, 1875 – dingiest sailerNeptis hesione Leech, 1890Neptis hylas – common sailerNeptis ida Moore, 1858Neptis ilira Kheil, 1884Neptis incongrua Butler, 1896Neptis infusa Birket-Smith, 1960Neptis ioannis Eliot, 1959Neptis jamesoni Godman & Salvin, 1890Neptis jordani Neave, 1910 – Jordan's sailerNeptis jumbah Moore, 1857 – chestnut-streaked sailerNeptis katama Collins & Larsen, 1991Neptis kikideli Boisduval, 1833Neptis kikuyuensis Jackson, 1951 – Kikuyu sailerNeptis kiriakoffi Overlaet, 1955 – Kiriakoff's sailerNeptis laeta Overlaet, 1955 – common sailerNeptis lamtoensis Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis larseni Wojtusiak & Pyrcz, 1997Neptis latvitta Strand, 1909Neptis lermanni Aurivillius, 1896Neptis leucoporos Fruhstorfer, 1908Neptis liberti Pierre & Pierre-Baltus, 1998Neptis livingstonei Suffert, 1904Neptis loma Condamin, 1971Neptis lugubris Rebel, 1914Neptis magadha C. & R. Felder, 1867Neptis mahendra Moore, 1872 – Himalayan sailerNeptis manasa Moore, 1857 – pale hockeystick sailerNeptis marci Collins & Larsen, 1998Neptis matilei Pierre-Balthus, 2000Neptis mayottensis Oberthür, 1890Neptis melicerta – streaked sailerNeptis meloria Oberthür, 1906Neptis metalla Doubleday & HewitsonNeptis metanira Holland, 1892Neptis metella Doubleday & Hewitson, 1850Neptis miah Moore, 1858Neptis mindorana C. & R. Felder, 1863Neptis mixophyes Holland, 1892Neptis morosa Overlaet, 1955 – morose sailerNeptis mpassae Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis multiscoliata Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis najo Karsch, 1893Neptis namba Tytler, 1915Neptis nandina Moore, 1858Neptis narayana Moore, 1858 – broadstick sailerNeptis nashona Swinhoe, 1896 – less rich sailerNeptis nata Moore, 1858 – dirty sailerNeptis nausicaa de Nicéville, 1897Neptis nebrodes Hewitson, 1874Neptis nemetes Hewitson, 1868Neptis nemorosa Oberthür, 1906Neptis nemorum Oberthür, 1906Neptis nicobule Holland, 1892Neptis nicomedes Hewitson, 1874Neptis nicoteles Hewitson, 1874Neptis nigra Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis nina Staudinger, 1896 – tiny sailerNeptis nisaea de Nicéville, 1894Neptis nitetis Hewitson, 1868Neptis noyala Oberthür, 1906Neptis nycteus de Nicéville, 1890 – hockeystick sailerNeptis nysiades Hewitson, 1868Neptis occidentalis Rothschild, 1918Neptis ochracea Neave, 1904Neptis omeroda Moore, 1875Neptis pampanga C. & R. Felder, 1863Neptis paula Staudinger, 1895Neptis penningtoni van Son, 1977 – Pennington's sailerNeptis philyra Ménétriés, 1858Neptis philyroides Staudinger, 1887Neptis poultoni Eltringham, 1921Neptis praslini Neptis pryeri Butler, 1871Neptis pseudonamba Huang, 2001Neptis pseudovikasi Neptis puella Aurivillius, 1894Neptis quintilla Mabille, 1890Neptis radha Moore, 1857 – great yellow sailerNeptis reducta Fruhstorfer, 1908Neptis rivularis – Hungarian gliderNeptis rogersi Eltringham, 1921 – Roger's sailerNeptis rothschildi Eltringham, 1921Neptis rosa Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis saclava Boisduval, 1833 – spotted sailerNeptis sangangi Huang, 2001Neptis sankara – broad-banded sailerNeptis sappho – common glider or Pallas' sailerNeptis satina Grose-Smith, 1894Neptis sedata Sasaki, 1982Neptis seeldrayersi Aurivillius, 1895Neptis serena Overlaet, 1955 – river sailerNeptis sextilla Mabille, 1882Neptis sinocartica Chou & Wang, 1994Neptis soma Moore, 1858 – sullied sailerNeptis speyeri Staudinger, 1887Neptis stellata Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis strigata Aurivillius, 1894Neptis sunica Eliot, 1969Neptis swynnertoni Trimen, 1912Neptis sylvana Oberthür, 1906Neptis taiwana Fruhstorfer, 1908Neptis theodora Oberthür, 1906Neptis thestias Leech, 1892Neptis thetis Leech, 1890Neptis trigonophora Butler, 1878 – barred sailerNeptis troundi Pierre-Baltus, 1978Neptis vibusa Semper, 1889Neptis vikasi Horsfield, 1829 – dingy sailerNeptis vindo Pierre-Baltus, 1978Neptis vingerhoedti Pierre-Baltus, 2003Neptis viridis Pierre-Baltus, 2007Neptis woodwardi Sharpe, 1899 – Woodward's sailerNeptis yerburii Butler, 1886 – Yerbury's sailerNeptis zaida Westwood, 1850 – pale-green sailer