Abstract
Mycalesis gotama is a relatively common satyrid butterfly in Japan, and classified into two subspecies: subsp. fulginia and subsp. madjicosa. The former is found in southern Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu and has no obvious seasonal and geographical variations; while the latter in the Amami and the Loochoo Islands and has both seasonal and geographical variations. These two subspecies are easily distinguished in many respects. The specimen caught by the author at Satacho, Kagoshima Prefecture, southernmost Kyushu, is, however, characterized as the intermediate between these two subspecies. Two speculations are possible on the occurrence of the intermediate : one is that this specimen is a hybrid of inter-subspecies, subsp. fulginia and subsp. madjicosa, and the other is that subsp. madjicosa is contiguous to subsp. fulginia and is an example of "cline" phenomenon.
