Neptis is a large genus of butterflies of Old World tropics and subtropics.Brower, Andrew V. Z. 2006. Neptis Fabricius 1807. Neptidomima Holland 1920. Version 9 December 2006 They are commonly called sailer butterflies or sailers, or more precisely typical sailers to distinguish them from the related blue sailer (Pseudoneptis).
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 (some species have orange or yellow 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 (thick in central portion). 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.Scott, F.W. (1968). Sound produced by Neptis hylas (Nymphalidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 22(4):254
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 1782 Neptis agouale Pierre-Baltus, 1978 Neptis alta Overlaet, 1955 Neptis alwina Bremer & Grey, 1853 Neptis amieti Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis ananta Moore, 1858 – yellow sailer Neptis angusta Condamin, 1966 Neptis anjana Moore, 1881 – rich sailer Neptis antilope Leech, 1892 – variegated sailer Neptis arachne Leech, 1890 Neptis armandia Oberthür, 1876 Neptis aurivillii Schultze, 1913 Neptis beroe Leech, 1890 Neptis biafra Ward, 1871 Neptis brebissonii Boisduval, 1832 Neptis camarensis Schultze, 1917 Neptis carcassoni van Son, 1959 – Carcasson's streaked sailer Neptis carlsbergi Collins & Larsen, 2005 Neptis carpenteri Eltringham, 1922 Neptis cartica Moore, 1872 – plain sailer Neptis celebica Moore, 1899 - Celebes sailer Neptis choui Yuan & Wang, 1994 Neptis clarei Neave, 1904 – Clare's sailer Neptis claude Collins & Larsen, 2005 Neptis clinia Moore, 1872 – clear sailer Neptis clinioides de Nicéville, 1894 Neptis columella (Cramer, ) Neptis comorarum Oberthür, 1890 Neptis conspicua Neave, 1904 Neptis constantiae Carcasson, 1961 – Constance's sailer Neptis continuata Holland, 1892 Neptis cormilloti Turlin, 1994 Neptis cydippe Leech, 1890 – Chinese yellow sailer Neptis cymela C. & R. Felder, 1863 Neptis decaryi Le Cerf, 1928 Neptis dejeani Oberthür, 1894 Neptis dentifera Schultze, 1917 Neptis divisa Oberthür, 1908 Neptis dumetorum Boisduval, 1833 Neptis duryodana Moore, 1858 Neptis eltringhami Joicey & Talbot, 1926 Neptis esakii Nomura, 1935 Neptis exaleuca Karsch, 1894 Neptis felisimilis Schröder & Treadaway, 1983 Neptis frobenia (Fabricius, 1798) Neptis goochi Trimen, 1879 – (small) streaked sailer Neptis gracilis (Kirsch, 1885) Neptis gratiosa Overlaet, 1955 †Neptis guamensis Swinhoe, 1916 Neptis guia Chou & Wang, 1994 Neptis harita Moore, 1875 – (Indian) dingiest sailer Neptis hesione Leech, 1890 Neptis hylas (Linnaeus, 1758) – common sailer Neptis ida Moore, 1858 Neptis ilira Kheil, 1884 Neptis incongrua Butler, 1896 Neptis infusa Birket-Smith, 1960 Neptis ioannis Eliot, 1959 Neptis jamesoni Godman & Salvin, 1890 Neptis jordani Neave, 1910 – Jordan's sailer Neptis jumbah Moore, 1857 – chestnut-streaked sailer Neptis katama Collins & Larsen, 1991 Neptis kikideli Boisduval, 1833 Neptis kikuyuensis Jackson, 1951 – Kikuyu sailer Neptis kiriakoffi Overlaet, 1955 – Kiriakoff's sailer Neptis laeta Overlaet, 1955 – common sailer Neptis lamtoensis Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis larseni Wojtusiak & Pyrcz, 1997 Neptis latvitta Strand, 1909 Neptis lermanni Aurivillius, 1896 Neptis leucoporos Fruhstorfer, 1908 Neptis liberti Pierre & Pierre-Baltus, 1998 Neptis livingstonei Suffert, 1904 Neptis loma Condamin, 1971 Neptis lugubris Rebel, 1914 Neptis magadha C. & R. Felder, 1867 Neptis mahendra Moore, 1872 – Himalayan sailer Neptis manasa Moore, 1857 – pale hockeystick sailer Neptis marci Collins & Larsen, 1998 Neptis matilei Pierre-Balthus, 2000 Neptis mayottensis Oberthür, 1890 Neptis melicerta (Drury, 1773) – streaked sailer Neptis meloria Oberthür, 1906 Neptis metalla Doubleday & Hewitson Neptis metanira Holland, 1892 Neptis metella Doubleday & Hewitson, 1850 Neptis miah Moore, 1858 Neptis mindorana C. & R. Felder, 1863 Neptis mixophyes Holland, 1892 Neptis morosa Overlaet, 1955 – morose sailer Neptis mpassae Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis multiscoliata Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis najo Karsch, 1893 Neptis namba Tytler, 1915 Neptis nandina Moore, 1858 Neptis narayana Moore, 1858 – broadstick sailer Neptis nashona Swinhoe, 1896 – less rich sailer Neptis nata Moore, 1858 – dirty sailer Neptis nausicaa de Nicéville, 1897 Neptis nebrodes Hewitson, 1874 Neptis nemetes Hewitson, 1868 Neptis nemorosa Oberthür, 1906 Neptis nemorum Oberthür, 1906 Neptis nicobule Holland, 1892 Neptis nicomedes Hewitson, 1874 Neptis nicoteles Hewitson, 1874 Neptis nigra Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis nina Staudinger, 1896 – tiny sailer Neptis nisaea de Nicéville, 1894 Neptis nitetis Hewitson, 1868 Neptis noyala Oberthür, 1906 Neptis nycteus de Nicéville, 1890 – hockeystick sailer Neptis nysiades Hewitson, 1868 Neptis occidentalis Rothschild, 1918 Neptis ochracea Neave, 1904 Neptis omeroda Moore, 1875 Neptis pampanga C. & R. Felder, 1863 Neptis paula Staudinger, 1895 Neptis penningtoni van Son, 1977 – Pennington's sailer Neptis philyra Ménétriés, 1858 Neptis philyroides Staudinger, 1887 Neptis poultoni Eltringham, 1921 Neptis praslini (Boisduval, 1832) Neptis pryeri Butler, 1871 Neptis pseudonamba Huang, 2001 Neptis pseudovikasi (Moore, 1899) Neptis puella Aurivillius, 1894 Neptis quintilla Mabille, 1890 Neptis radha Moore, 1857 – great yellow sailer Neptis reducta Fruhstorfer, 1908 Neptis rivularis (Scopoli, 1763) – Hungarian glider Neptis rogersi Eltringham, 1921 – Roger's sailer Neptis rothschildi Eltringham, 1921 Neptis rosa Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis saclava Boisduval, 1833 – spotted sailer Neptis sangangi Huang, 2001 Neptis sankara (Kollar, 1844) – broad-banded sailer Neptis sappho (Pallas, 1771) – common glider or Pallas' sailer Neptis satina Grose-Smith, 1894 Neptis sedata Sasaki, 1982 Neptis seeldrayersi Aurivillius, 1895 Neptis serena Overlaet, 1955 – river sailer Neptis sextilla Mabille, 1882 Neptis sinocartica Chou & Wang, 1994 Neptis soma Moore, 1858 – sullied sailer Neptis speyeri Staudinger, 1887 Neptis stellata Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis strigata Aurivillius, 1894 Neptis sunica Eliot, 1969 Neptis swynnertoni Trimen, 1912 Neptis sylvana Oberthür, 1906 Neptis taiwana Fruhstorfer, 1908 Neptis theodora Oberthür, 1906 Neptis thestias Leech, 1892 Neptis thetis Leech, 1890 Neptis trigonophora Butler, 1878 – barred sailer Neptis troundi Pierre-Baltus, 1978 Neptis vibusa Semper, 1889 Neptis vikasi Horsfield, 1829 – dingy sailer Neptis vindo Pierre-Baltus, 1978 Neptis vingerhoedti Pierre-Baltus, 2003 Neptis viridis Pierre-Baltus, 2007 Neptis woodwardi Sharpe, 1899 – Woodward's sailer Neptis yerburii Butler, 1886 – Yerbury's sailer Neptis zaida Westwood, 1850 – pale-green sailer
References
Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 13: Die Afrikanischen Tagfalter. Plate XIII 48
External links Images representing Neptis at EOL Neptis full species list at Swedish Wikipedia