Junonia

Hübner, 1819

buckeyes, pansies, commodores

Species Guides

7

Junonia is a of nymphalid butterflies containing approximately 30–35 , described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. These medium to large butterflies (wingspan 40–110 mm) are characterized by brown or grey ground coloration suffused with blue, and prominent wing spots in orange, blue, or pink. The genus has a nearly distribution, occurring on every continent except Antarctica and Europe. Many species exhibit color , with multiple distinct color forms occurring within single species.

Junonia coenia by (c) skitterbug, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by skitterbug. Used under a CC-BY license.Junonia coenia by (c) William Harmon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by William Harmon. Used under a CC-BY license.Junonia by (c) Rejoice Gassah, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Rejoice Gassah. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Junonia: //juːˈnoʊniə//

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Images

Distribution

Global distribution spanning every continent except Antarctica and Europe. -level distribution varies: Junonia coenia, J. grisea, J. neildi, J. nigrosuffusa, J. stemosa, and J. zonalis occur in the United States; J. divaricata, J. evarete, J. genoveva, and J. litoralis are restricted to South America.

Diet

Larvae feed on a wide variety of plants including Plantaginaceae (plantains, snapdragons, firecracker plant/Russelia equisetiformis), Scrophulariaceae (Fluellin, Kickxia), Acanthaceae, Amaranthaceae, Onagraceae, Leguminosae, Balsaminaceae, Gramineae, Melastomataceae, Aucubaceae, and Compositae. feeding habits not specified in sources.

Behavior

Basking documented in J. atlites and J. hedonia: both use appressed and/or horizontal postures for , with highest frequency in morning (94.44% for J. atlites, 63.33% for J. hedonia), decreasing as day progresses. Basking duration shortens as air temperature increases. Wing color does not significantly affect basking posture or duration. J. coenia larvae feed on plants containing iridoid glycosides; their chemical defense renders them virtually immune to vertebrate , though pupae and remain edible.

Human Relevance

J. coenia larvae discovered feeding on ornamental firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis), a popular garden shrub, representing a novel plant record. Several used in ecological research, including long-term monitoring by Art Shapiro in California since 1972. J. orithya used in developmental research on wing and color pattern formation.

Sources and further reading