2005 Volume 56 Issue 1 Pages 1-5
The larval stage of Sarbanissa venusta (Leech) and the seasonal appearance of the imago are described and compared to Sarbanissa yunnana (Mell) in Jizobaru Highland, Oita, Kyushu, Japan. Larvae of both species bore a close resemblance, but their food plants were different. S. venusta fed on Ampelopsis brevipedunculata Trautv. (Family Vitidaceae), while S. yunnana fed on Impatiens spp. (Family Balsaminaceae). S. venusta appeared only from the end of July to the end of August. On the other hand, S. yunnana was apparently represented by two generations, appearing from the end of May to the beginning of July, and from the end of July to the end of August. The larvae of both species showed aggregation habit, but in S. venusta the size of the group was sometime very large with more than 70 larvae. I observed a 'leader' in some groups, which was the first to shake its body to threaten an enemy; the other members immediately imitated the act.
