Niphanda fusca is a parasitic butterfly primarily found in East Asian countries such as Japan and Korea.

As first-instar and occasionally second-instar larva, the caterpillars will feed on the honeydew-like excretions produced by the aphids.

In laboratory experiments, these aphids have been found feeding on Japanese pampas grass, Miscanthus sinensis.

[3] The female N. fusca will oviposit her eggs on a tree near aphid colonies, typically in small bunches.

The offspring are almost ensured a food source as first instar larvae through the aphids until they pupate as the ants continue to feed them.

As the caterpillars become third-instar larva, they will develop the exocrine glands that are essential in producing the chemicals that aid in parasitizing C. japonicus.

[1] N. fusca will use chemical mimicry through the production and release of cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) to trick the host ant into adopting the larva as their own.

[5] The CHCs, secreted by the DNO (an endocrine gland of N. fusca), have a major sugar component of trehalose (as opposed to the commonly thought glucose).

[5] The CHCs aid the caterpillars in avoiding ant aggression by allowing them to mimic colony-specific information production.

[5] A major mechanism that allows N. fusca to be adopted into the host ant colony is the chemical mimicry that it employs.

The secretion, primarily composed of tetrahelose, is made from the DNO, an endocrine gland, while the caterpillar is a third-instar larva.

[1] These chemical productions are constantly modified to regularly appeal to the host ant – these appeasement substances may be evolutionarily stable while the parasite continues to be rare and small in population size.

While there is definitely a greater benefit to the butterfly in this "cuckoo-type" interaction, it has been indicated that there may be mutualism involved, especially in regards to the chemical secretions of N. fusca.

[2] Two main causes are listed for leading to N. fusca's decline in numbers and thus endangerment: degradation of satoyama ecosystems and urban development.

Many of the satoyama have either been destroyed or have progressed into becoming forests due to lack of management[4] – this has been increasingly the case for the last 30–40 years.

While early stage succession may be harder and more expensive to maintain, the preservation of other more stable lands, such as cliffs or grasslands near volcanoes, would be more feasible of a conservation effort.