A large, colourful butterfly; wings brownish orange, marked with black patterns; slow fliers, migrating over great distances, from Mexico to Canada. (Order: Lepidoptera. Family: Nymphalidae.)
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Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a well-known North American butterfly.
Migration
Monarchs are especially noted for their lengthy annual migration. Female Monarchs deposit eggs for the next generation during these migrations. The length of these journeys far exceeds the lifetime of most Monarchs, which is less than two months for butterflies born in early summer.
Metamorphosis
The life cycle of a Monarch includes a change of form called complete metamorphosis. The Monarch goes through four radically different stages:
The eggs are laid by the females during spring and summer breeding months. During the caterpillar stage, Monarchs store energy in the form of fat and nutrients to carry them through the non-feeding pupa stage.|
Monarch butterfly laying eggs |
Monarch eggs on Swan Plant |
Monarch caterpillars |
Monarch caterpillar begining pupation |
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Monarch butterfly chrysalis |
Emerging from chrysalis |
Reproduction
The mating period for the overwinter population occurs in the spring, just prior to migration from the overwintering sites.
Defense against predators
Monarchs are foul-tasting and poisonous due to the presence of cardenolides in their bodies, which the caterpillars ingest as they feed on milkweed.
Monarchs share this defense with the even more unpleasant-tasting and similar-appearing Viceroy butterfly, in an example of Müllerian mimicry. (Viceroys were at one time believed to be Batesian mimics of Monarchs.)
Popularity
The Monarch is the state insect of Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, and Texas, and the state butterfly of Minnesota and West Virginia.
Many people like to attract Monarchs by making a butterfly garden, and other people like to raise them for pleasure or for educational purposes.
Threats
Recent illegal deforestation of the Monarch's overwintering grounds have led to a drastic reduction in the butterfly's population.
Monarch butterflies are susceptible to Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, a protazoan which parasitizes them. The effects of the parasite on Monarchs include decreased weight, shortened lifespan, weakened wings, rapid weightloss, or inability to close, though this varies between butterfly populations and parasite strains [3].
Popular culture
The Monarch is a supervillain from the Adult Swim cartoon The Venture Bros. He claims to have been raised by Monarch butterflies after surviving a plane crash that killed his parents, although his mannerisms and personality demonstrate almost no knowledge of their biology or behavior.
A monarch butterfly appeared in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, Wormy.
An episode of Malcolm in the Middle simply entitled "Butterflies" has a plot with Reese raising hundreds of Monarch caterpillars.
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