Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Genoveva
Buckeye
Junonia genoveva
CRAMER, 1780
Family -
NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe - JUNONIINI
Junonia
genoveva, Rio Pindayo, Peru
Introduction
The tribe Junoniini includes some of
the most colourful and instantly recognisable butterflies in the
world, including the African
Precis Pansies and
Salamis Mother of Pearl butterflies, and the Asian
Kallima Dead Leaf butterflies. In the neotropics
the Junoniini are represented by the genera
Anartia, Siproeta, Hypolimnas, Metamorpha, Napeocles
and Junonia.
The latter genus
is very closely allied to
Precis,
in fact the two are regarded as synonymous by some taxonomists.
There are 4 species
of Junonia
in the neotropics -
coenia, evarete, genoveva
and vestina, which are collectively known as the Buckeyes because of their
prominent ocelli.
Junonia evarete and
genoveva are very similar in
appearance. As a general guide, the upperside of
evarete is lighter, and the ocelli on
the hindwings are roughly equal in diameter. On the underside the
hindwings of genoveva are marbled,
while those of evarete are quite
plain.
Despite these
differences the two taxa are commonly misidentified, and there are many mislabelled museum specimens
and many
errors in entomological books. Andrew Neild meticulously researched these
taxa, comparing specimens from
Surinam with the original paintings used by
Cramer for his engravings and descriptions. He concluded that many
of the characters used by other entomologists to separate them
were unreliable for
determining the distinctions between continental populations.
Neild states that the most reliable method of distinguishing between the
2 species is
to examine the antennae - in genoveva
the underside of the antennal club is black, and "obviously distinct from the rest of the antenna on the
ventral surface". In evarete the
underside of the antenna, including the club, is uniform in
colour, but varies from light to dark grey between individual
insects.
Junonia genoveva is distributed from
the southern USA to Bolivia and Brazil.
Junonia
genoveva, Rio Pindayo, Peru
Habitats
Genoveva Buckeyes typically occur in small colonies of about 10-20 adults. They
tend to be found in severely disturbed, dry sunny habitats such as
in forest clearings, riverbanks and
roadsides where there is a mixture of bare ground, grassland and scrubby
vegetation. They have a wide altitudinal range, found from sea
level to over 2000m. They tend to be more abundant in the dry season.
Lifecycle
The larval
foodplants are in the family Verbenaceae.
Junonia
genoveva, Rio Pindayo, Peru
Adult behaviour
Males
are commonly observed basking on bare ground,
rocks, or dry logs, with their wings fully or partly open depending
on the ambient temperature. They are very alert at all times and
instantly fly up if disturbed but usually return within a few
seconds to their original position or somewhere close by. They
ignore other species, but intercept either sex
of their own species. Male territories usually overlap so there
are regular encounters, but territorial battles tend to be quickly settled. When
a passing
female is intercepted, a short chase takes place prior to
copulation, which typically occurs among herbage,
close to bushes.
In late afternoon when temperatures
begin to drop, both sexes gather at roosting sites. These tend to
be sheltered areas in forest clearings or scrubland, where the
butterflies roost in a slightly head-downward posture on
flowerheads or on the stems or leaf-blades of coarse grasses.
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