Junonia orithya

Junonia orithya
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Junonia
Species:	J. orithya
Binomial name
Junonia orithya (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Papilio orithya Linnaeus, 1758 Precis orithya Junonia orithya f. isocratia Hübner, [1819] Junonia orthyia var. leechi Alphéraky, 1897 Precis phycites Fruhstorfer, 1912 Precis orithya ab. jacouleti Watari, 1941 Precis patenas Fruhstorfer, 1912 Junonia ocyale Hübner, [1819] Junonia alleni Kirby, [1900] Precis orithya hainanensis Fruhstorfer, 1912 Junonia wallacei Distant, 1883 Junonia swinhoei Butler, 1885 Precis orithya leucasia Fruhstorfer, 1912 Vanessa orthosia Godart, [1824] Junonia orbitola Swinhoe, 1893 Precis orithya eutychia Fruhstorfer, 1912 Precis orithya palea Fruhstorfer, 1912 Junonia orithya var. neopommerana Ribbe, 1898 Junonia albicincta Butler, 1875 Precis orithya cheesmani Riley, 1925 Junonia orythia var. madagascariensis Guenée, 1865 Junonia booepis Trimen, 1879 Precis orithya madagascariensis ab. punctella Strand, 1915 Junonia adamana Schultze, 1920 (hybrid oenone var. sudanica × orithya var. madagascariensis) Precis orithya ab. flava Wichgraf, 1918 Precis orithya saleyra Fruhstorfer, 1912 Precis orithya marcella Hulstaert, 1923

Junonia orithya is a nymphalid butterfly with many subspecies occurring from Africa, through southern and south-eastern Asia, and in Australia. In India its common English name is the blue pansy, but in southern Africa it is known as the eyed pansy as the name blue pansy refers to Junonia oenone. In Australia this butterfly is known as the blue argus.

Male upperside: somewhat more than half the forewing from base velvety black, apical half dull fuliginous; cell-area with or without two short transverse orange bars; a blue patch above, the tornus; the outer margin of the basal black area obliquely zigzag in a line from the middle of costa to apex of vein 2, including a large discal, generally obscure ocellus, which, however, in some specimens is prominently ringed with orange yellow. Beyond this a broad white irregularly oblique discal band followed by a short oblique preapical bar from costa; a small black orange-ringed ocellus beneath the bar, a subterminal continuous line of white spots in the interspaces and a terminal jet-black slender line; cilia alternately dusky black and white. Hindwing blue shaded with velvety black towards base; a postdiscal black white-centred orange and black-ringed ocellus in interspace 2, a round minutely white-centred velvety-black spot (sometimes entirely absent) in interspace 5; the termen narrowly white, traversed by an inner and an outer subterminal and a terminal black line; cilia white.

Underside forewing: basal half with three black-edged, sinuous, broad, ochraceous-orange transverse bands, followed by the pale discal baud; ocelli, preapical short bar, subterminal and terminal markings much as on the upperside; the discal band margined inwardly by a broad black angulated line which follows the outline of the black area of the upperside. Hindwing irrorated (sprinkled) with dusky scales and transversely crossed by subbasal and discal slender zigzag brown lines and a postdiscal dark shade, on which are placed the two ocelli as on the upperside; subterminal and terminal faint brown lines, and a brownish short streak tipped black at the tornal angle below the lower ocellus.

Female. Similar, with similar but larger and more clearly defined ocelli and markings; the basal half of the forewings and hindwings on the upperside fuliginous (sooty) brown, scarcely any trace of blue on the hindwing. Antennae brown, head reddish brown, thorax and abdomen above brownish black: palpi, thorax and abdomen beneath dull white.

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Wikipedia