The Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites) is a nymphalid butterfly native to South Asia, characterized by its pale greyish-brown wings with intricate dark wavy lines and prominent, pinkish-black eyespots. Commonly found in open, sunny areas like gardens, fields, and wetlands, this 55-60mm butterfly frequently basks with its wings spread.
J. atlites is found in Bangladesh, India, southern China, Cambodia, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, western and central Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Key Facts About the Grey Pansy:
Appearance: The upperside is pale greyish buff, while the underside is much paler with fainter markings. Both wings feature a series of distinct eye-spots (ocelli).
Habitat & Behavior: Often observed gliding low over open grassy patches or near water bodies. They are, however, relatively rare in certain areas, such as Singapore.
Larval Food Plants: The caterpillars feed on plants in the Acanthaceae and Linderniaceae families, particularly Hygrophila species.
Regional Variation: Junonia atlites exhibits seasonal forms (wet- and dry-season forms) in parts of its range, such as Malaysia.
Pollinator: The adult serves as an active pollinator, feeding on nectar.
It is commonly found in the low country and hills of South Asia, including India and Sri Lanka. Junonia atlites, the grey pansy, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia.
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.
