Junonia atlites

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title: "Junonia atlites" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["junonia", "butterflies-of-indochina", "butterflies-of-singapore", "butterflies-described-in-1763", "animal-taxa-named-by-carl-linnaeus", "articles-containing-video-clips", "butterflies-of-malaysia"] description: "Species of butterfly" topic_path: "geography/china" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junonia_atlites" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of butterfly ::

| name = Grey pansy | image = MD Grey Pansy.jpg | image_caption = In Bogor Botanical Gardens, Java | image2 = Grey pansy (Junonia atlites).JPG | image2_caption = Ventral side in Sri Lanka | taxon = Junonia atlites | authority = (Linnaeus, 1763) | synonyms = *Papilio atlites Linnaeus, 1763

• Papilio laomedia Linnaeus, 1767
• Precis atlites acera Fruhstorfer, 1912

Junonia atlites, the grey pansy,

Distribution

J. atlites is found in Bangladesh, India, southern China, Cambodia, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, western and central Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Description

Upperside of both sexes pale lavender brown, apical half of wings paler. Forewing: cell with, three transverse, short, sinuous black bands, the outermost defining the discocellulars; a similar short, somewhat broader band beyond the apex of the cell; two transverse discal dusky black fasciae, the inner highly sinuous and outward, angulate above vein 4, the outer straighter, somewhat lunular, bordered by a series of whitish ovals with dusky or black centers. The black-centered spots in the ovals in interspaces 2, 5, and 6 margined posteriorly with rich ocherous yellow. Beyond this series of ovals is a lunular, narrow, transverse dark band, followed by sinuous subterminal and terminal broad dark lines. Apex of wing slightly fuliginous. Hindwing: a short slender black loop from veins 6 to 4 at apex of cell-area; two discal sinuous transverse dark, fasciae in continuation of those on the forewing: followed by a series of dark-centered ovals in interspaces 2–6, the ovals in interspaces 2, 5, and 6 with the dark centers inwardly broadly bordered with ochreous yellow; postdiscal, subterminal and terminal dark lunular lines as on the forewing.

Underside lilacine white markings as on the upperside but very delicate, slender and somewhat obsolescent. In the dry-season forms of the males the rows of oval ocelli are only indicated by the yellow-centered ovals. The most prominent marking is the inner discal fascia crossing the wings; this is much less sinuous than on the upperside and not angulated on the forewing. In the females the markings are all heavier and more distinct, the space between the various transverse fasciae tinged with ocherous.

Ecology

The larvae of J. atlites feed on Oryza, Pseuderanthemum, Strobilanthes, Asteracantha longifolia, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Barleria, Hygrophila lancea, and Hygrophila salicifolia. File:Junonia atlites by kadavoor UP.jpg|Upperside File:Grey Pansy Junonia atlites by kadavoor UW.JPG|Underside File:Junonia atlites-Kadavoor-2016-06-23-001.jpg|Mating File:Crab spider feeding Junonia atlites in Kadavoor.jpg|As prey File:Junonia atlites on Zinnia elegans at Kadavoor.jpg|On flower File: Nymphalidae - Junonia atlites atlites - Grey Pansy.webm|Video clip

References

References

1. (2015). "A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India". Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal & Indinov Publishing, New Delhi.
2. Savela, Markku. "''Junonia atlites'' (Linnaeus, 1763)".
3. Bingham, Charles Thomas. (1905). "Fauna of British India. Butterflies Vol. 1".
4. Moore, Frederic. (1899–1900). "Lepidoptera Indica. Vol. IV". Lovell Reeve and Co..
5. Savela, Markku. "''Junonia atlites'' (Linnaeus, 1763)".

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