African Queen (Danaus chrysippus)

OTHER NAMES: Plain Tiger, African Monarch
Latin Etymology: Danaus (a mythical Egyptian King) chrysippus (after a Greek Philosopher)

Adult Plain Tiger (subspecies D. c. chrysippus) at Bishan Park, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Danaus chrysippus chrysippus
Weight: ?  /  Length: 2.3cm (body)  /  Wingspan: 7-8cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

A large, distinctive butterfly with a huge range spanning Africa, Asia and Australia.  Their bright colours are to warn predators; they consume milkweed as larvae which renders them unpalatteable to many predators.  As a further extension of this process, it has a number of species which have begun to mimic it to benefit from it's toxicity.  It also has the distinction of being on the earliest butterflies known to be depicted in human art, appearing in a fresco at Luxor.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Nymphalidae 
Genus: Danaus
SUBSPECIES: D. c. chrysippus, D. c. acippus, D. c. orientis

 - Sighting Locations -

SINGAPORE - A common resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: A few at Bishan Park

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

OTHER NAMES: Monarch Butterfly, Milkweed, Common Tiger, Wanderer, Black-veined Brown
Latin Etymology: Danaus (a mythical Greek king) plexippus (a mythical Prince)

Adult Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) at San Jose, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: Danaus plexippus plexippus
Weight: 0.5g  /  Length: 2.5-3.5cm  /  Wingspan: 8.9-10.2cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Perhaps the most iconic of all insects of North America, the Monarch is a large distinctive species that migrates in huge numbers to Mexico in Winter, although some populations are resident. Their foodplants as caterpillars are the milkweed family, resulting in the caterpillar being toxic as they store the toxins from the host plant. Despite being widespread, they have suffered many conservation threats and have been subject to various protections to secure their future.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Nymphalidae 
Genus: Danaus
SUBSPECIES: D. p. plexippus, D. p. nigrippus, D. p. megalippe, D. p. portoricensis, D. p. tobagi

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 

A widespread resident and Summer migrant throughout the Lower 48 and Hawai'i
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at San Jose,

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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