''Junonia atlites'', the grey pansy, is a species of

nymphalid The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a red ...

butterfly found in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

Distribution

''J. atlites'' is found in Bangladesh, India, southern China,

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

, the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

, 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 ''Oryza'' is a genus of plants in the grass family. It includes the major food crop rice (species ''Oryza sativa'' and ''Oryza glaberrima''). Members of the genus grow as tall, wetland grasses, growing to tall; the genus includes both annual an ...

'', ''

Pseuderanthemum ''Pseuderanthemum'' is a genus of plants in family Acanthaceae with a pantropical distribution. Species The following 130 species are accepted by Plants of the World Online * '' Pseuderanthemum alatum'' * '' Pseuderanthemum albiflorum'' * ...

'', ''

Strobilanthes ''Strobilanthes'' is a genus of about 350 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia and Madagascar, but with a few species extending north into temperate regions of Asia. Many species are cultivated for ...

'', '' Asteracantha longifolia'', ''

Alternanthera philoxeroides ''Alternanthera philoxeroides'', commonly referred to as alligator weed, is a native species to the temperate regions of South America, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Argentina alone hosts around 27 species that fall with ...

'', ''

Barleria ''Barleria'' is a genus of plants in the family Acanthaceae. Some species include: * '' Barleria acanthoides'' Vahl * '' Barleria aculeata'' Balf.f. * '' Barleria albostellata'' C.B.Clarke, the grey barleria * '' Barleria compacta'' Malombe & I. ...

'', '' Hygrophila lancea'', and ''

Hygrophila salicifolia Hygrophila may refer to: * Hygrophila (gastropod), a clade situated under the class and above the superfamily in the gastropods taxonomy * ''Hygrophila'' (plant), a plant genus * '' Astercantha longifolia'', commonly known as hygrophila in En ...

''. 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

{{Taxonbar, from=Q714593 atlites Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Singapore Butterflies described in 1763 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Articles containing video clips