New categories of hilltopping/hilltopper supplementing the traditional one in the sense of Shields (1967) can be defined by examining the proportions of each behavioral category practiced by hilltopping males of 15 butterfly species on the summit, subsummit and slope of Mt Nijo and Mt Katsuragi, Central Japan from April to October in 2002. Proportions were evaluated based on percentage of male behavioral patterns, Perching, Flying, Intra- and Inter-specific fights, Foraging, etc., observed in a total of 22 and 26 5-m radius observation circles scattered on each altitudinal subzone of Mts Katsuragi and Nijo, respectively, during 5 min census periods. Five different types of hilltopping behavior, Types A1, A2, B, C1 and C2, were separated in this study. Species from Type Al, the narrow sense or "classical" hilltopping type, used hilltops only for mating. Papilio machaon, Luehdorfia japonica, Argyreus hyperbius, Cynthia cardui, Vanessa indica, the overwintering adult of Nymphalis xanthomelas, Hestina japonica and Lampides boeticus belonged to Type A1. Type A2 species such as Papilio xuthus, Papilio bianor and Papilio helenus were identical in purpose to Type A1 but never perched and had a patrolling route running through the slopes. Type B species, such as Parnara guttata, used hilltops for a combination of 3 purposes: nectaring, mating and as a short stop during their migrations. In Type C1 species, such as Libythea celtis and the summer adult of N. xanthomelas, hilltops were used as temporary habitats during aestivation, including reproductive diapause for L. celtis, to avoid summer heat in lowland areas. Finally, in Type C2 species, such as Colias erate and Lycaena phlaeas, hilltops were not only used as temporary habitats during aestivation but other purposes were also associated: breeding on food-plant in the case of C. erate, nectaring and mating.

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As a part of the process of conserving the Satoyama ecosystem (mountain village ecosystem), the population of Luehdorfia japonica (Leech) inhabiting Kaisho-no-Mori Forest and Aichi Youth Park has been monitored from 2001 to 2005. Kaisho-no-Mori Forest is located near the site of the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan (EXPO2005) and Aichi Youth Park was used as a part for the site for EXPO2005. Monitoring consisted of investigation of the numbers of eggs, larvae and adults. Eggs and larvae on the host plant, Asarum kooyanum Makino var. bachypodion (F. Maek.) Kitam., were directly counted, and the number of adults was estimated both by observation and the mark-release-recapture method (MRR method). The monitoring results from 2001 to 2004 made by the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition (JAEXPO2005) were compared with our results. According to the latter report, the number of Luehdorfia japonica decreased in year only, 2000, and gradually increased towards 2004 in Kaisho-no-Mori Forest. The monitoring result presented by JAEXPO2005 also showed the gradual increase of this butterfly in Aichi Youth Park.

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A new species of Nigilgia Walker, 1863 is described from Mt Nanling, Guangdong Province, China. It differs from all congeners by the violet sheen of the forewings, the form of the metallic wing markings and the structure of the male genitalia.

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A new species of Allotinus belonging to the subgenus Paragerydus is described from Mindanao, the Philippines.

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Although sesiids have been considered one of the major seed predators of dipterocarp trees in Southeast Asia, little has been documented regarding their mode of predation. We investigated the mode of seed predation by Synanthedon nautica. (Meyrick, 1932) (Sesiidae) on Neo-balanocarpus heimii (Dipterocarpaceae), a tree species that produces high-quality timber, at Pasoh Forest Reserve in Negeri Sembilan, Peninsular Malaysia. In total, ten individuals of S. nautica emerged from 283 seeds of various sizes. All S. nautica were found in mature seeds that had the ability to germinate (seeds≥3.0 g), suggesting that S. nautica feeds on mature seeds. The length of time for 5. nautica to emerge from the seed varied from 13 to 42 days (31.3 days on average). Time to adult eclosion was not dependent on seed weight. The biological adaptation of S. nautica to mast fruiting of dipterocarps in Southeast Asia is discussed.

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The peritrophic membrane of the third instar larvae of a hybrid strain of the silkworm Bombyx mori, C146×N137, was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The ectoperitrophic network layer was well embedded in a protein matrix, suggesting that the peritrophic membrane plays an important role in protecting the midgut cells from infection with Bombyx mori nucleopoly-hedrovirus.

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Pheromone transfer particles (PTPs) found in the male alar pouch of the genus Tirumala serve to make females recognize their mates and there is a possibility that the chemical composition of the pheromone is species specific. In order to evaluate this possibility, the microstructure of PTPs for seven species of Tirumala was compared using a scanning electron microscope. PTPs of T. gautama, choaspes, ishmoides, septentrionis and hamata are, though slightly different in shape, almost rounded. On the other hand, those of T. limniace and T. petiverana are characteristically polyhydric in shape and a little smaller in size. There is a possibility that the characteristic microstructure of PTPs in individual Tirumala species reflects the clear sexual isolation.

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Butterfly assemblage was monitored using a route census method at 7 observation sites along the Saigawa River of Nagano Prefecture in 2003-2004. It is suggested that the census data are to be analyzed using ER and Hi-index which include the environmental value for each species.

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Many moths of the noctuid genus Chasminodes were flying over and under tree crowns in a valley of Nyuyama, Nagawa, Nagano Prefecture, central Honshu, from 5: 00 pm to before twilight, ca 6: 30 pm, on August 26, 2006. Five moths were collected and identified as males of C. cilia (Staudinger, 1888). In night collecting at the same place, six Chasminodes species, including C. cilia, were trapped. The day-time flight of male C. cilia is considered to be mating behaviour by males in search of females.

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A European-Mediterranean species, Mythimna albipuncta ([Denis & Schiffermuller]) is recorded from East Asia for the first time on the basis of a male specimen collected in North Korea with illustration of the male genitalia.

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Eight species of Ectropis are recorded from Indonesia. Two new species, E. floresensis and E. herbuloti, are described from Flores Is. and Sumatra, respectively.

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Most saturniid moths are generalists, and various species of foodplants used by them have been recorded. In Japan, all saturniid moths are large in size, and most larvae feed on the leaves of oak trees (Fagaceae), elm trees (Ulmaceae) and birch trees (Betulaceae), which are forested for the traditional "Satoyama" coppice in Japan. It is essential to have an understanding of the roles of Saturniidae in energy flow and the food web in a coppice. However, studies on the biology and community ecology of these moths are limited. We report the foodplants used by these moths in the field, and discuss the relationship between the range of saturniid larvae foodplants (including foodplant species in the literature in Japan) and the genealogy of saturniid moths in Japan. We discovered 44 foodplant species from 19 families utilized by eight species of saturniid moth (Samia cynthia, Antheraea yamamai, Saturnia jonasii, S. japonica, Rhodinia fugax, Actias gnoma, A. artemis, and Aglica japonica) in our studies. We discovered the larvae of A. yamamai, S. jonasii, S. japonica, R. fugax and A. japonica feeding on a new foodplant, C. tschonoskii (Betulaceae), at most study sites. R. fugax utilized the new foodplants Quercus phillyraeoides (Fagaceae), Salix chaenomeloides, S. subfragilis (Salicaceae) and Benthamidia florida (Cornaceae), and S. jonasii utilized the new foodplants Q. phillyraeoides (Fagaceae), Lindera umbellata var. membranacea (Lauraceae), Ilex rotunda (Aquifoliaceae), Swida macrophylla (Cornaceae), Lyonia ovalifolia (Ericaceae) and Styrax japonica (Styracaceae). In similarity tests using the Ochiai index (OI) for the foodplant species of saturniid moths, the foodplant species of S. jonasii most closely resembled those of S. japonica (OI=0.417). The foodplant species of A. yamamai do not closely resemble those of other species of Saturniidae (OI≤0.377). Saturniid moths may avoid overlapping of foodplants. In Euclidean distance analysis, it was shown that S. japonica is the remotest species. The geographic distribution of S. japonica is wide, so we suggest that the foodplants of S. japonica have changed, with the insects adjusting to various species of vegetation that occur over its range. As regards the foodplant habits of saturniid moths, it appears that the foodplant preferences of Saturniidae have become diversified according to local habitat vegetation and to allow them to compete for foodplant resources with other Lepidoptera larvae. S. japonica, which lays an egg mass, may shift its preferred foodplant to other surrounding plants in the case of diet shortage caused by overcrowding of larvae. It is suggested that the number of foodplant species increased by oviposition on extra-foodplants and/or by escaping to other plants.

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Pupae of 11 genera of Arctiinae in Arctiidae from Japan are described. This subfamily is divided into two tribes, Arctiini and Spilosomini, and the former is constituted from two groups and the latter from three groups based on the pupal characters. The pupae of some genera of the Spilarctia group excepting Chionarctia are indistinguishable, and some genera are tentatively combined with the genus Lemyra in this paper.

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Celastrina sugitanii in the San-in District of Japan is a specialist depending on flowers of Aesculus turbinata. A field survey carried out in Misasa, Tottori Prefecture during 2003-2005 indicated that they laid eggs in late April. In late May the mature larvae left the host tree and fell to the ground surface, as was demonstrated by more than a hundred larvae collected with litter-fall traps under the host tree. The period for egg and larval stages in the field was thus estimated to be ca 36 days. Rearing tests under different temperature conditions (18, 21, 24, 27℃; all 16L8D) in the laboratory revealed an extraordinary developmental zero point of the larvae, -0.9℃, despite of a normal value of 7.8℃ for the congeneric C. argiolus. The extreme value, caused by rapid larval growth at lower temperatures, should imply a climatic adaptation developed in C. sugitanii which needs to accomplish almost all its food assimilation within a restricted flowering period of Aesculus turbinata in May.

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