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Danaus plexippus (L. 1758)

The Monarch Butterfly

Andrew V. Z. Brower
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Containing group: Danaus

Introduction

The monarch is one of the best known butterfly species. Although native to North and South America, it has expanded its distribution to Australia, many Pacific islands, and a few places in Europe. Monarch larvae, like those of many other Danaini, feed on milkweeds of the family Asclepiadaceae, from which they sequester cardiac glycosides that often render them unpalatable to potential predators. The species is perhaps best known for its annual migrations, from eastern North America to the mountains of central Mexico, and from western North America to the coast of California. The butterflies rest for the cool winter months in large aggregations which may contain tens of millions of individuals.

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Left: Monarch larva feeding on milkweed host plant at Poco Sol (Caribbean slope below Monteverde), Costa Rica. Right: Overwintering monarchs covering a tree branch at Alpha Monarch research site, Mexico. Images © Greg and Marybeth Dimijian

Other Names for Danaus plexippus (L. 1758)

References

Brower AVZ, and Jeansonne MM. 2004. Geographical populations and "subspecies" of New World monarch butterflies (Nymphalidae) share a recent origin and are not phylogenetically distinct. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 97: 519-523.

Brower LP. 1995. Understanding and misunderstanding the migration of the monarch butterfly (Nymphalidae) in North America: 1857-1995. J. Lepid. Soc. 49: 304-385.

Solensky, M. J. and K. S. Oberhauser, eds. 2004. The Monarch Butterfly: Biology and Conservation. Cornell University Press, Ithaca.

Information on the Internet

Title Illustrations
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Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Danaus plexippus
Location Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Sex Male
Source Stained Glass Butterfly
Source Collection Flickr
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License - Version 2.0.
Copyright © 2006 Marty DeAngelo
Scientific Name Danaus plexippus
Location Farm Pond Park, Framingham, Massachusetts, USA
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Sex Female
Source bug of the day
Source Collection Flickr
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License - Version 2.0.
Copyright © 2006 Jenn Forman Orth
About This Page


Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Andrew V. Z. Brower at

Page: Tree of Life Danaus plexippus (L. 1758). The Monarch Butterfly. Authored by Andrew V. Z. Brower. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Brower, Andrew V. Z. 2007. Danaus plexippus (L. 1758). The Monarch Butterfly. Version 02 August 2007 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Danaus_plexippus/76926/2007.08.02 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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