Common mapwing
This butterfly's wing pattern of fine black lines on white resembles cracks running through a stone wall, appearing almost hand-drawn up close.
| Where | Hill forests across Japan and Taiwan |
|---|---|
| Size | 50 to 70 mm wingspan |
| When | March to November |
This butterfly's wings show fine black lines on a white background that resemble cracks running through a stone wall, with soft orange-brown spots along the margins. It flies with a light, gliding motion low over vegetation.
Caterpillars feed on fig and other Moraceae leaves, and adults commonly gather at damp ground or puddles to draw up minerals. It ranges from hill forests of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia through southern China, Taiwan and Japan's southern islands.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
White, Black, Orange
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to people, and often seen sipping minerals from damp ground or puddles.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Neptis sappho shows straight, parallel white bands running across a dark brown wing, while Cyrestis thyodamas has a branching, crack-like network of fine black lines over white with orange-brown marginal spots.
Questions
Is the Common mapwing dangerous to people?
Harmless to people, and often seen sipping minerals from damp ground or puddles.
When can you see the Common mapwing?
The Common mapwing can be seen from March to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Swiss Natural History Collections - SwissNatColl, CC BY 4.0, GBIF Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Brush-footed butterflies›Cyrestis
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.
