( Danaus plexippus )
PHOTO COMMENT
(Linnaeus ,1758 )
LOCATION DETAILS
RECOGNITION
BIOLOGY
CREDITS
Adrian Cotter
Insect Sciences Museum of California
References
| Monarch Butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ) | |
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PHOTO COMMENT | |
| IDENTIFICATION | |
| Identification: | Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus ,1758 ) |
| Common Name: | Monarch Butterfly |
| Life Stage: | (A) adult |
| PHYLOGENY | |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Superorder: | Holometabola |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Suborder: | Glossata |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Subfamily: | Danainae |
| Tribe: | Danaini |
| Genus: | Danaus |
| Taxon Code: | LEP00030 |
| ITIS/TSN: | 117273 |
LOCATION DETAILS | |
| Location Name | |
| Cerrito Creek, Albany | |
| County: | Alameda County |
| ECI Site#: | CA01020000 |
RECOGNITION | |
| Wingspan | |
| 8.6-12.4 cm | |
BIOLOGY | |
| The adults make mass migrations from August-October, flying to hibernate along the California coast and in central Mexico. At the wintering sites in Mexico, the butterflies roost in trees and form huge aggregations that may have millions of individuals. They leave for the north in the spring, and females lay eggs along the way. The females lay eggs singly on the leaves of the milkweeds (Asclepias); caterpillars eat the leaves and flowers | |
| Food | |
| Adults take nectar from a variety of flowers | |
| Host | |
| The caterpillars feed on plants in the Milkweed family (Asclepiadaceae [or Apocynaceae in part]), primarily Milkweeds (Asclepias), but also other genera including Calotropis, Cynanchum, Gonolobus, Sarcostemma, etc | |
| Habitat | |
| Open areas with flowers, hostplant | |
| Range | |
| Much of temperate North America into tropics and much of South America. Also some islands in Pacific, Australia. Highly migratory. | |
CREDITS | |
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Photographer Adrian Cotter Insect Sciences Museum of California | |
References | |
| Species Danaus plexippus - Monarch - Hodges#4614. (http://bugguide.net/node/view/540). Accessed March 12, 2016. . | |
| ITIS. | |
