The nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial genes encoding 16s rRNA (16s) and NADH-dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) were analyzed for 30 species in the genus Erebia. A molecular phylogenetic tree inferred from conjunction of 16s and ND1 gene sequences (735 base pair in total) suggested that the genus Erebia is divided into at least three clusters. We tentatively call the clusters a typical Erebia, an atypical Erebia and a far Erebia, respectively. The typical Erebia includes 23 out of 30 species analyzed, implying that this is the main group of the genus Erebia. The atypical Erebia consists of E. sibo, E. kalmuka, E. meta, E. turanica, E. radians, which are species mainly distributed in high-altitude regions of Central Asia. The far Erebia consists of E. wanga and E. rossii, and these two species have a common feature in the spot of their forewings. There are seven sub-groups in the typical Erebia. One of the sub-groups, which consists of E. neriene, E. niphonica, E. alcmena and E. aethiops, is further analyzed using a mitochondrial gene encoding NADH-dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5). We make a particular discussion on this sub-group in the present study.

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A larva of Scythropiodes leucostola (Meyrick) (Lecithoceridae, Lepidoptera) was observed to bore into and feed on a bud gall formed by Biorhiza nawai (Ashmead) (Cynipidae, Hymenoptera). Although cecidophagous moths have been recorded from ten families of Lepidoptera, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a cecidophage from the family Lecithoceridae.

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Distributional records of the family Prodoxidae from Japan are reported. In addition to a known species, Greya marginimaculata (Issiki), four species, Lampronia altaica Zagulajev, L. corticella (Linnaeus), L. flavimitrella Hubner, and Greya variabilis Davis and Pellmyr, are newly recorded from Japan. These species are restricted to mountainous areas of Hokkaido and Central Honshu in Japan.

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Butterfly watching was carried out at a small house garden of Fujimigaoka New Town, Oita City, for three years from 1998 to 2000. In contrast to the "route census method", we did not have a fixed time for butterfly observation because of working during the daytime in another place, and also not always being at home during holidays. Hence, observation was carried out only at certain times. However, we fixed an observation place in the garden of Miyata's house and several meters around it to be able to watch and to identify butterflies. Even under such limiting conditions, a total of fifty species of butterfly was observed in the garden during the period. In the present paper, yearly and monthly appearances of each species and also frequency of its numbers were evaluated by total number of appearance days in each year and for three years, and the number of individuals in each half month classified into three grades as shown in Table 1. The number of butterfly species observed during the holiday was always more than that on weekdays. During the summer season, most of the butterflies, about 70 to 100% of butterflies seen in a day, appeared before noon, especially from eight to ten o'clock in the morning. We believe that if during every holiday the observer could stay in his house until ten o'clock in the morning, he could observe almost all species that would appear in his garden in a year. Therefore, our method may be recommended as a useful method of monitoring butterflies instead of the "route census method".

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The yearly change in occurrence of Luehdorfia puziloi inexpecta Sheljuzhko was investigated at Mt Akagi from 1987 for 15 years. Threshold temperature for development from 1st instar to 2nd instar larvae was examined by using data collected from field studies.

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Mythimna (Mythimna) lineatipes (Moore) is newly recorded from Japan and Thailand. Its close relatives from Asia are studied taxonomically. Lectotype of M. (Mythimna) percisa (Moore) is designated and the female genitalia are illustrated for the first time. Four distinct species, M. (M.) lineatipes (Moore), M. (M.) nainica (Moore), M. (M.) percisa (Moore) and M. (M.) lucida Yoshimatsu and Hreblay are recognized. Keys to species on the basis of male and female genitalia are given.

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Most of the bagworms of Eumeta japonica (Heylaerts) contained pupal cases of parasite flies. The number of parasite fly's pupae varied, ranging from 1 to 42 per bagworm. Living larvae of E. japonica were noted as being fewer than those of other species.

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The genus Crypsithyris is revised for Japanese species. Three known species, C. japonica Petersen & Gaedike, 1993, C. saigusai Gaedike, 2000 and C. crococoma Meyrick, 1934 are redescribed, and C. cana sp. nov. is described. Erroneous sexual combination of C. saigusai in the original description is corrected. Feeding habits of larvae are given.

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