Neptis laeta

The Common Sailer, not all that common here but more so than N. Saclava, (the previous post.) Sometimes they are found perched territorially, but I have always found them to be shy.
ToL lists 144 spp. with a wide distribution, but none from the Americas. There are six in RSA, but this one and N. Sacalva being the most common.
 

Neptis saclava

The Spotted Sailer -I think Sailer being the preferred spelling, referring to the appearance in flight (rather than to a mariner.)  The submarginal spots and underside basal mottling are characteristic. It is not all that common here, certainly less so than N. Laeta, though having a similar distribution: a band stretching inward from the Natal coast, and up into the Eastern and Northern Transvaal (old geography.)

Afrodryas leda

Eronia leda is now Afrodryas leda. The genus from Stoneham 1957, TS is  itself, originally Dryas leda Boisduval 1847. Is it monotypic?
Eronia cleodora stet.
 

Pinacopteryx eriphia

The Zebra White.
It is over a year now since we have moved home to Golden Pond in Hilton, no more than 9 km NW as the crow flies from our previous home, but 400 m higher in altitude. The butterfly population here is a bit different.
Anyway, a few days ago I found this butterfly at the edge of the pond. Not the most flattering photograph of an older specimen, but, despite being quite common, and widely distributed, it is my first, and so is special. As it left before I could get a picture of the upperside, I thought of Annie Dillard stalking her muskrats.
The genus is monotypic, being established by Wallengren from Pieris eriphia Godart as the TS.

Dixeia pigea

The Small Ant-heap White.
There are a few introduced exotic plants at Cumberland. One of these is Achillea millefolium, (the Yarrow, Milfoil or Duisendblaar.) On a hot midsummer day a plethora of this butterfly could be found nectaring on these flowers. The top two photographs are of a female, with its mostly yellow background, (and a round bottom). Below is a male with mostly a white background. The sp. is distiguished from others of the genus by a yellow or orange streak along the hind wing costa.
The genus was established by Talbot as recently as 1932, using Pieris Charina as the TS.
See also D. Charina.
 

Junonia hierta

The Yellow Pansy is quite common but can be elusive. The sexes can be told apart from their upper sides. The female has a dark spot in the large yellow hind wing patch, and has two wavy lines, characteristic of this group of butterflies, extending inward from the fore-wing costa. The male lacks the spot, and the wavy lines appear to be subsumed into the basal black.

See also Junonia the genus.

 

Junonia the genus

In 1819, Hubner established both the genera Precis (TS Papilio octavia) and Junonia (TS P.lavinia, now J. evarete.) Perhaps in naming Junonia, Hubner had in mind the story of Juno and the peacock with reference to the prominent eye-spots often found in the genus.
Since then the two  genera have been lumped, split and spp. switched across. It is therefore surprising that the phyletic relationship of these similar looking genera is that of rather distant cousins. Junonia's closest relation is Salamis, while that of Precis is Hyoplimnas (see Wahlberg and Brower on tolweb.) Incidentally, Salamis appears to have been re-assigned back to Protogoniomorpha!
There are four commonly found Junonia spp. here:
J. hierta
J. oenone
J. natalica
J. Orithya
I do have a single record of J. terea from the Kruger National Park.
J. tugela has been re-assigned to Precis.