Peacock pansy (Junonia almana)

Peacock pansy (Junonia almana) is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is a tropical butterfly with a wingspan of 54–62 mm; its forewings are adorned with striped patterns and eyespot-like markings, while the hindwings also feature eyespots, and the body is marked with a striped pattern. This species exhibits seasonal polyphenism, appearing in two distinct adult forms.

In the dry-season form, the upperside is a deep yellow-orange. The forewing features a short, dark transverse band—bordered by deep black lines—that crosses the wing cell. A similar band delimits the discocellular area. The costal margin, the inner and outer subterminal lines, and the terminal (outermost) margin are all a dull black.



In wing space 2, there is a large ocellus (eyespot) with a tiny white dot at its center, surrounded by a thin inner ring and a black outer ring. Near the apex, there is a pair of smaller, similar ocelli. Above these lies a faint, pale patch, with a short, oblique band connecting the ocelli to the black markings on the costal margin.

On the hindwing, there is a small ocellus in wing space 2, featuring a tiny white central dot and a very thin black ring. Above this is a much larger, pale yellow ocellus with a black ring, spanning wing spaces 4, 5, and 6. The center of this ocellus is brownish-orange on the inner side and bluish-black on the outer side, with two tiny white dots arranged vertically between these two colors. Wavy black lines appear across the postdiscal, subterminal, and terminal areas.

The underside is a yellowish-brown (ochreous) color, with significant variation. The forewing cell is crossed by three dark, wavy bands, with the outermost band situated along the discocellular area. These bands appear very faint. Both the forewings and hindwings are crossed by pale, wavy lines in the basal and discal areas. The outer edge of the discal line is bordered by a dark shadow containing a series of faint, barely visible dark spots, which is further bounded outwardly by a subterminal wavy line. On the forewings, this dark shadow often extends all the way to the outer margin. On the hindwings, the subterminal line meets the discal line, forming an acute angle near the tornus.

The antennae are dark brown. The head, thorax, and abdomen are brownish-orange, with a paler coloration on the underside.

In the wet-season form, the upperside appears similar, but the black markings are darker and thicker, and the subterminal and terminal lines are more distinct. The underside is a pale brownish-yellow (ochraceous). On the forewing, the cell area is crossed by five short, wavy, dark brown lines. Similar lines appear at the discocellular area and further outward; both curve inward, forming an angle, and continue toward the dorsum. The space between these lines forms a broad band in the discal area, which fades to a whitish color toward the rear.

The postdiscal ocelli, as well as the subterminal and terminal lines, resemble those on the upperside but are paler in color. On the hindwing, there is a thin, dark transverse line near the subbasal area, followed by a straight, whitish band in the discal area—a continuation of the band found on the forewing. The postdiscal ocelli, subterminal line, and terminal line appear similar to those on the upperside but are paler. The anterior ocelli feature a double iris and a distinct central core. The antennae are dark brown. The head, thorax, and abdomen are slightly darker than those of the dry-season form.

Eggs are laid singly on the leaves or buds of the host plant. They are greenish in color, somewhat spherical with a blunt apex, and measure 0.75 mm in diameter. There are 11 to 13 longitudinal, whitish ridges extending from the apex to the base of the egg. The eggs take 2.5–3 days to hatch.

Upon hatching, the caterpillar consumes a portion of the eggshell before proceeding to eat the remainder from the outside. At this stage, the caterpillar measures 1.5–1.6 mm. The body is cylindrical, pale yellowish-green, and covered in numerous tubercles. Long, dark-colored setae emerge from these projections. The head capsule ranges from dark brown to black.

The 1st instar prefers young leaves or buds. This phase lasts 2 days, reaching a length of 3.2 mm before molting.

The 2nd instar is dark brown to black. Branching, brownish projections extend along the body. Fine hairs emerge from these projections as well as from other small tubercles on the body surface. This instar phase lasts 2 days, with a length of 6 mm.

In the 3rd instar, the dorso-lateral and lateral projections are proportionally longer. The bases of most dorsal and dorso-lateral projections are yellowish-brown to brownish-orange. The body is predominantly dark brown to black, with faint, thin, pale-white rings visible on the body segments. This instar phase lasts 2 days, with a length of 11 mm.

The 4th instar features an orange band just behind the head capsule and a white band between the thoracic segments. This phase lasts 2 days, with a length of 16.5 mm.

The 5th instar lasts 2–3 days, reaching a length of 25 mm.

In the 6th instar, the body surface is covered by a dense layer of fine, whitish setae, and the white bands on the thoracic segments become more prominent. The edges of the head capsule and several conical tubercles are brownish-orange. This phase lasts 3–5 days, with a length of 43 mm.

On the final day, the caterpillar stops feeding and begins to wander. The caterpillar eventually settles at a specific spot—on the underside of a leaf, on a young shoot, or along a stem—and spins silk from which it hangs vertically in a pre-pupal position.

Pupation occurs approximately 0.5 days later. The pupa hangs from a silk pad, without the support of a silk girdle. It is brown in color, marked with several white bands or patches. There are rows of short, pointed projections along the dorso-lateral sides, with a pair on each segment. The dorsum features a sharp, prominent ridge in the mesothoracic region. The pupa measures 18–21 mm in length.

After 5.5–6 days, the pupal cuticle becomes translucent, and the pupa turns dark brown. Reddish-brown patches appear on the developing wing cases. The adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis within the next 6–12 hours.

TAXON

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Tribe: Junoniini
Genus: Junonia Hübner (1819)
Species: Junonia almana Linnaeus (1758)

SYNONYMS

Alcyoneis almane Hübner (1819)
Cynthia acanthi Fabricius
Junonia almana nigriata Chen (2002)
Junonia asterie Linnaeus (1758)
Junonia fluentis Murayama (1961)
Junonia inauditus Murayama (1961)
Junonia liquefactus Murayama (1961)
Papilio almana Linnaeus (1758)
Precis almana almana

VERNACULAR NAME

Bengali: নয়ান
Chinese (simplified): 美眼蛱蝶
Chinese (traditional): 孔雀蛺蝶 - 眼蛺蝶 - 簑衣蛺蝶 - 美眼蛺蝶
English: Peacock Pansy
Finnish: Rusokapteeni
French: Junonie-paon
Guangdong: 孔雀蛺蝶 - 美眼蛺蝶
Hong Kong: 孔雀蛺蝶 - 美眼蛺蝶
Indonesia: Pansi merak, Kupu-kupu pansi merak, Kupu-kupu merak
Japanese: タテハモドキ
Java: Kupu merak
Korean: 남방공작나비
Macao: 孔雀蛺蝶 - 美眼蛺蝶
Spanish: Mariposa ojos de venado pavorreal
Taiwan: 孔雀蛺蝶 - 眼蛺蝶 - 簑衣蛺蝶 - 美眼蛺蝶
Tamil: மயில் வசீகரன்
Thai: ผีเสื้อแพนซีมยุรา

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