Recent records of Junonia orithya from Kochi prefecture, southern Japan (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)

Abstract

Junonia orithya (Linnaeus, 1758), commonly known as the Blue Pansy, is widely distributed in tropical regions, including Africa, Asia, and Australia. In Japan, this species is primarily distributed in the southern part of the Ryukyu Islands and emerges almost every year in the southern part of Kyushu. In Kochi Prefecture, it has been intermittently recorded at several locations. This paper reports new records of this species based on observations and collections made around Muroto City, southeastern Kochi, in 2023 and 2024, and on five individuals collected in Nankoku City, central Kochi, in 2025.