Buff-tip vs Japanese Comma Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Buff-tip Japanese Comma Butterfly
Scientific Name Phalera bucephala Nymphalis vaualbum
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Notodontidae Nymphalidae
Size 55-68 mm wingspan 55-65 mm wingspan
Habitat Underground Mountains
Diet Herbivores Sap Feeders
Regions Europe, temperate Asia East Asia, Japan/Korea
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Buff-tip

A moth that mimics a broken birch twig with remarkable precision when at rest. Its silvery-grey wings end in a buff-coloured patch resembling exposed wood.

💡

Did You Know?

Caterpillars feed communally in large groups and can completely defoliate small trees.

Japanese Comma Butterfly

Known as 'erutateha' in Japanese, a large nymphalid butterfly with deeply scalloped wing edges. The undersides provide excellent bark camouflage. Adults overwinter and can be seen flying on warm winter days.

💡

Did You Know?

This butterfly hibernates through winter as an adult and can sometimes be seen flying on unusually warm days in January and February in Japan.