Neptis sappho
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Neptis sappho, the Pallas' sailer or common glider, is a nymphalid butterfly found in Central Europe, Russia, India and other parts of temperate Asia and Japan. The wingspan is 40–46 mm.The upper side of the forewings is black or black-brown in ground colour with a band of white spots. Two white, wedge-shaped spots are also found between the band and the wing base. The underside is rusty brown and otherwise shows the same white markings as the upper side. The upper side of the hind wings is also black or black-brown in colour with a broad inner and a narrow outer band, each white with a white band, which are only broken by the dark veins. In contrast to the very similar Neptis rivularis, the white markings are more extensive and have two rows on the hind wings. The rusty brown underside is slightly lighter than in N. rivularis.
The larvae feed on Lathyrus vernus, Lathyrus niger and Robinia pseudoacacia. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan |
More parks will be added in future updates.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas' Sailer sighting in Nanjing on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 101st most-seen of the 272 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas' Sailer in Nanjing on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–March, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pallas' Sailer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Pallas' Sailer sightings, Nanjing ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Suzhou (China, about 10%), Tokyo (Japan, about 10%) and Sendai (Japan, about 10%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Pallas' Sailer that you can see in Nanjing (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Spotted Leopard Butterfly (about 20%), Blue Admiral (about 20%) and Asian Comma (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pallas' Sailer is recorded against all the insects logged in Nanjing (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
