The Dot-dash Sailer is a black-and-white sailer butterfly from East Asia that you won't find in the wild in the United States. Its name points to the small black dots near the body on the underside of the hindwing.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Black wings with white bands. The forewing is about 0.8–1.3 in (21–33 mm) long. The underside of the hindwing has black dots near the base.
Look-alikes
Pallas' SailerNeptis sappho
Pallas' Sailer lacks the black dots at the base of the hindwing underside. If you see those dots, it is the Dot-dash Sailer.
Why they get mixed upBoth are small black-and-white sailers that glide the same way, and they share much of their range in East Asia.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Forest edges
- Shrubby areas
- Parks and gardens (Japan)
- Range
- Native to Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and the Russian Far East. It does not live in North America.
Behavior
- Activity
- Like other sailers, it glides with its wings held open instead of flapping much.
- Overwintering
- It spends the winter as a young caterpillar hidden in dead leaves.
Life cycle
- Caterpillar food plants
- Caterpillars feed on spireas (Spiraea), including Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica).
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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