Junonia erigone (Cramer, [1775])
Northern Argus
(also known as Precis erigone)
NYMPHALINAE,   NYMPHALIDAE,   PAPILIONOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


(Specimen : courtesy of Oxford University Natural History Museum)

The wings of the adult butterflies of this species are brown with the outer half of the forewings a darker brown. The outer half of each forewing is marked by and irregular row of cream spots and a blue centred orange eye spot. The hind half of each forewing has two deep orange bars. The hindwings are brown with the outer half again being darker and having a wavy orange marginal line and a row of five small blue eyespots.


underside
(Specimen : courtesy of Oxford University Natural History Museum)

The underside are similar to the upper surfaces but each forewing has three orange bars and the colour of each hindwing is mottled red brown. The wingspan is about 5 cms.

The species is found in

  • Java, and
  • New Guinea

    Only one specimen is recorded for Australia in

  • Northern Territory on Rimbija Island.


    Further reading :

    Michael F. Braby,
    Butterflies of Australia,
    CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 577-578.

    Pieter Cramer,
    Description de Papillons Exotiques,
    Uitlandsche kapellen voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen,
    Amsterdam Baalde, Volume 1 (1775), p. 97, figs E, F, and Plate 62, figs E, F.


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    (updated 20 March 2004, 9 December 2013, 23 June 2020)