Precis Iphita on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''Junonia iphita'', the chocolate pansy or chocolate soldier, is a butterfly found in Asia.
The wingspan is about and the female can be told apart from the male by white markings on the oblique line on the underside of the hindwing. The wavy lines on the underside of the wings vary from wet- to dry-season forms.
Individuals maintain a territory and are usually found close to the ground level and often bask in the sun.
Upperside of both sexes brown of varying depths of colour. Forewing: cell with one pair of subbasal and one pair of apical transverse sinuous fasciae, the outermost defining the discocellulars; a short, broad, dark, oblique fascia beyond to vein 4, its inner margin diffuse, its outer sinuous but sharply defined; below vein 4 a sinuous, transverse, more faint fascia, followed by a discal blackish fascia, very broad and diffuse, below costa, bordered by a row of faint ocelli, and a postdiscal and a subterminal similar fascia following the outline of the termen. Hindwing with a slender blackish loop near apex of cellular area; a broad inwardly diffuse, outwardly well-defined short discal fascia in continuation of the one on the forewing; a series of postdiscal somewhat ochraceous ocelli with black pupils minutely centred with white; postdiscal and subterminal broad lines as on the forewing.
Underside brown, with very broad darker brown transverse fasciae, the interspaces between the markings irrorated (sprinkled) with purplish silvery scales. Forewing with two sinuous fasciae on basal half succeeded by a discal fascia, very broad at the costal margin and decreasing in width to the dorsum, bearing on its outer border a row of obscure ocelli. This is succeeded by a zigzag dark line, and sinuous subterminal and terminal lines; apex and tornal area suffused with purplish silvery. Hindwing: two irregular, very broad, dark brown, curved short fasciae near base; a straight, transverse, prominent, narrow ochreous-brown discal band defined outwardly by a black line; a transverse postdiscal dark brown fascia, widest in the middle and bearing outwardly a curved row of ochreous-brown white-centred ocelli, followed by a zigzag dark line in continuation of the one on the forewing; a subterminal somewhat diffuse dark fascia and a terminal dark line. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen dark brown.
File:ChocPansy.jpg, Upperside
File:Junonia iphita 05014.JPG, Underside
File:VB 077 Chocolate Pansy Egg.jpg, Egg
File:MooreThe Lepidoptera of CeylonPlate21.jpg, Plate from
Description
Upperside of both sexes brown of varying depths of colour. Forewing: cell with one pair of subbasal and one pair of apical transverse sinuous fasciae, the outermost defining the discocellulars; a short, broad, dark, oblique fascia beyond to vein 4, its inner margin diffuse, its outer sinuous but sharply defined; below vein 4 a sinuous, transverse, more faint fascia, followed by a discal blackish fascia, very broad and diffuse, below costa, bordered by a row of faint ocelli, and a postdiscal and a subterminal similar fascia following the outline of the termen. Hindwing with a slender blackish loop near apex of cellular area; a broad inwardly diffuse, outwardly well-defined short discal fascia in continuation of the one on the forewing; a series of postdiscal somewhat ochraceous ocelli with black pupils minutely centred with white; postdiscal and subterminal broad lines as on the forewing.
Underside brown, with very broad darker brown transverse fasciae, the interspaces between the markings irrorated (sprinkled) with purplish silvery scales. Forewing with two sinuous fasciae on basal half succeeded by a discal fascia, very broad at the costal margin and decreasing in width to the dorsum, bearing on its outer border a row of obscure ocelli. This is succeeded by a zigzag dark line, and sinuous subterminal and terminal lines; apex and tornal area suffused with purplish silvery. Hindwing: two irregular, very broad, dark brown, curved short fasciae near base; a straight, transverse, prominent, narrow ochreous-brown discal band defined outwardly by a black line; a transverse postdiscal dark brown fascia, widest in the middle and bearing outwardly a curved row of ochreous-brown white-centred ocelli, followed by a zigzag dark line in continuation of the one on the forewing; a subterminal somewhat diffuse dark fascia and a terminal dark line. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen dark brown.
Life history
The eggs are often laid on the ground or on dry twigs near the host plants rather than on them. On hatching the larvae find their way to the host plants.Larva
"Cylindrical, slightly pubescent and armed with nine longitudinal rows of many-branched spines, except on the head which is clothed with short bristles. ... Colour dark dull brown." (Davidson and Aitken)Pupa
The pupa "is regular, with three or five dorsal rows of small tubercular points, hung perpendicularly. ... Colour smoky brown."(Davidson & Aitken)Larval food plants
The larvae feed on a variety of plants of the family Acanthaceae species recorded are - * '' Hygrophila costata'' * '' Justicia micrantha'' * ''Justicia procumbens
''Justicia procumbens'', commonly known as water willow, (Marathi: करंबल Karambal, पित्तपापडा Pitpapada, कलमाशी Kalmashi)(Tamil:கோடகசாலை--kOdakasAlai), is a small plant native to India
...
''
* '' Justicia sphaerosperma''
* '' Lepidagathis formosensis''
* ''Strobilanthes callosus
''Strobilanthes callosa'' ''(Synonym: Carvia callosa (Nees) Bremek)'' is a shrub found mainly in the low lying hills of the Western Ghats, all along the west coast of India.
''
* ''Strobilanthes formosanus
''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 ...
''.HOSTS – a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/hostplants/) accessed on September 13, 2007.
* ''Barleria cristata
''Barleria cristata'', the Philippine violet, bluebell barleria or crested Philippine violet, is a plant species in the family Acanthaceae.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to a wide area ranging from Southern China to India and Myanmar.
...
''
* '' Dipteracanthus prostratus''
* '' Hygrophila auriculata''
* ''Ruellia elegans
''Ruellia'' is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias. They are not closely related to petunias (''Petunia'') although both genera belong to the same euasterid clade. The genus was named in honor of Jean Ruelle ( ...
''
* ''Ruellia simplex
''Ruellia simplex'', the Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell or Britton's wild petunia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is a native of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It has become a widespread invasive plant ...
''
* '' Ruellia tuberosa''
* ''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 ...
''
* ''Achimenes grandiflora
''Achimenes grandiflora'' (Schltdl.) DC.DeCandolle, A. Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 7(2): 536. 1839. is a plant species in the genus ''Achimenes'', family Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family of f ...
''
* ''Strobilanthes ciliata
''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 ...
''
Gallery
Frederic Moore
Frederic Moore FZS (13 May 1830 – 10 May 1907) was a British entomologist and illustrator. He produced six volumes of ''Lepidoptera Indica'' and a catalogue of the birds in the collection of the East India Company.
It has been said that Mo ...
's ''The Lepidoptera of Ceylon'' depicting imagines, larva and pupa
File:Chocolate Pansy Butterfly(1) from Kothligad Maharashtra.jpg, Chocolate Pansy, Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
See also
* List of butterflies of India (Nymphalidae)References
External links
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q3024933 iphita Butterflies of Asia Butterflies described in 1779