Species Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Monarch, Wanderer
- Papilio plexippus Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundem classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii Vol. 1 10, 824 pp. [471] [placed on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology as Name No. 111, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1954. Opinion 282. Determination of the species to which the specific name plexippus Linnaeus, 1758, as published in the combination Papilio plexippus (Class Insecta, Order Lepidoptera) shall be held to apply. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 6: 225–267 pl. 1 (227); Corbet, A.S. 1949. The Linnaean names of Indo-Australian Rhopalocera. Pt 6. The case of Papilio plexippus. Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London B 18: 184–190 (188)].
Type data:
Neotype USNM ♂, Kendall, New York State, USA
Comment: Linnaeus' type material was superseded by the neotype fixed by the ICZN in Opinion 282; International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1954. Opinion 282. Determination of the species to which the specific name plexippus Linnaeus, 1758, as published in the combination Papilio plexippus (Class Insecta, Order Lepidoptera) shall be held to apply. Opinions and Declarations rendered by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 6: 225–267 pl. 1 [225] (discussed selection of the type specimen); Hemming, F. 1967. The generic names of the butterflies and their type-species (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology Suppl. 9: 1–509 [139] (discussed selection of the type specimen). - Papilio archippus Fabricius, J.C. 1793. Entomologia Systematica Emendata et Aucta. Secundum, Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, adjectis synonimis [sic], locis, observationibus, descriptionibus. Hafniae : Christ. Gottl. Proft. Tom. 3(Pars 1) iv 487pp. [49] [junior primary homonym of Papilio archippus Cramer, 1775].
Type data:
Syntype(s) ZMK 2 specimens, sex unknown, unknown (Fabricius gave 'America meridionali' in original description)
Comment: Fabricius in the original description mentioned illustrations by Cramer & Jones; Zimsen, E. 1964. The Type Material of I.C. Fabricius. Copenhagen : Munksgaard 656 pp. [557] (stated that there were two specimens in Kiel). - Danais archippus fumosus Hulst, G.D. 1886. Three new varieties, and one new species of Lepidoptera. Entomologica Americana 2(9): 182 [182].
Type data:
Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown sex unknown, unknown (not stated, probably USA)
Comment: Hulst in the original description mentioned several specimens. - Danais plexippus pulchra Strecker, F.H.H. 1900. Lepidoptera, Rhopaloceres and Heteroceres, indigenous and exotic; with descriptions and colored illustrations. Reading : Pennsylvania Suppl. 3 pp. 13–37. [21].
Type data:
Status unknown, FMNH ♂, Colorado, USA.Type locality references:
Bryk, F. 1937. Family Danainae. Lepidopterorum Catalogus. Pt 78 pp. 1–432; Corrigenda Pt 80 pp. 641–642. [47] (gave type and type locality information). - Danaus menippe americanus Gunder, J.D. 1927. New transition forms or "abs" and their classification (Lepid., Rhopalocera). Entomological News 38(5): 129-138 1 pl. [137 pl. 2 fig. 10].
Type data:
Holotype AMNH ♀ (Gunder designated a holotype), Sunny Glen Ranch, Brewster County, Texas, USA.
Paratype(s) LACM 1♀, Evanston, Illinois; BCI 1♀, Provo, Utah
Comment: Miller, L.D. & Brown, F.M. 1981. A Catalogue/Checklist of the Butterflies of America North of Mexico. Memoir No. 2. Florida : Lepidopterists' Society vii 280 pp. [205] (repository). - Danaus menippe nivosus Gunder, J.D. 1927. New transition forms or "abs" and their classification (Lepid., Rhopalocera). Entomological News 38(5): 129-138 1 pl. [138].
Type data:
Holotype AMNH ♂ (Gunder designated a holotype), Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, USA (in original description).
Paratype(s) CM ♀, Mt Lebanon, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Comment: Miller, L.D. & Brown, F.M. 1981. A Catalogue/Checklist of the Butterflies of America North of Mexico. Memoir No. 2. Florida : Lepidopterists' Society vii 280 pp. [205] (repository). - Euploea asclepiadis Fabricius, J.C. in Bryk, F. 1938. Systema Glossatorum. [Facsimile]. Im Anhang: J. Chr. Fabricius: Rechenschaft an das Publicum über seine Classification der Glossaten. pp. 13–112. [70] [Bryk, F. 1937. Family Danainae. Lepidopterorum Catalogus. Pt 78 pp. 1–432; Corrigenda Pt 80 pp. 641–642. (90, 642) referred to Euploea asclepiadis Fabricius, 1807; Tuxen, S.L. 1967. The entomologist, J.C. Fabricius. Annual Review of Entomology 12: 1–14 (5) discussed the printing and publication history of Systema Glossatorum, noted that part of the book, title page and pp. 1–112 were printed but not published in 1807, at least three copies survived; Brown, F.M. 1987. Fabricius's Systema Glossatorum. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 113: 431–446 (431, 439) noted that Bryk's Facsimile publication of Systema Glossatorum introduced new names at the species level and stated that these names should be credited to Fabricius (in Bryk), 1938 and not to Fabricius, 1807; these Fabricius (in Bryk) names were discussed and identified; Euploea asclepiadis Fabricius (in Bryk) was introduced as a replacement name for Papilio plexippus Linnaeus].
Type data:
Neotype USNM ♂, Kendall, New York State, USA
Comment: Fabricius' book was not published until long after Fabricius' death when Bryk published it and made the Fabricius names available; Hemming, F. 1967. The generic names of the butterflies and their type-species (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology Suppl. 9: 1–509 [139, 140] (discussed the selection of the type specimen); Brown, F.M. 1987. Fabricius's Systema Glossatorum. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 113: 431–446 [439] (stated that this was a replacement name for plexippus Linnaeus, as such it will have the same type).
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
- Miller, L.D. & Brown, F.M. 1981. A Catalogue/Checklist of the Butterflies of America North of Mexico. Memoir No. 2. Florida : Lepidopterists' Society vii 280 pp. [204]
- Edwards, E.D. 1996. Nymphalidae. pp. 243-248, 359-360 in Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangsi, T.V. (eds). Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 xiv 529 pp. & CD-ROM. [247]
Distribution
States
Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Extralimital distribution—Nearctic Region, Neotropical Region, Oriental Region, Palaearctic Region, occurs widely in the Australian Region, Pacific Ils, New Zealand, Indonesia and New Guinea, native to Nearctic and Neotropical Regions, has spread into the Australian Region with introduced foodplants.
IBRA
ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Burt Plain (BRT), Carnarvon (CAR), Channel Country (CHC), Central Kimberley (CK), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Central Ranges (CR), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Dampierland (DL), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Finke (FIN), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gascoyne (GAS), Gawler (GAW), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Gulf Plains (GUP), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), King (KIN), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), Mulga Lands (ML), Murchison (MUR), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), Northern Kimberley (NK), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Nullarbor (NUL), Ord Victoria Plain (OVP), Pilbara (PIL), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Stony Plains (STP), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)
Other Regions
Lord Howe Island terrestrial & freshwater, Norfolk Island terrestrial & freshwater
Original AFD Distribution Data
Australian Region
- Australia
- Australian Capital Territory
- Lord Howe Island
- New South Wales: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Territory: Lake Eyre basin
- Queensland: Murray-Darling basin, N Gulf, NE coastal
- South Australia: Lake Eyre basin, Murray-Darling basin, S Gulfs, SE coastal, W plateau
- Tasmania
- Victoria: Murray-Darling basin, SE coastal
- Western Australia: N coastal, NW coastal, SW coastal
Nearctic Region
Neotropical Region
Oriental Region
Palaearctic Region
Ecological Descriptors
Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Gomphocarpus cancellatus (Burm. f.) Bruyns [ASCLEPIADACEAE] Broad-leaved Cottonbush; Calotropis gigantea (L.) W.T.Aiton [APOCYNACEAE] Giant Calotrope; Araujia hortorum E.Fourn. [ASCLEPIADACEAE] Mothvine; Gomphocarpus fruticosus (L.) W.T.Aiton [APOCYNACEAE] Narrowleaf Cottonbush; Stapelia variegata L. [ASCLEPIADACEAE]; Asclepias curassavica L. [ASCLEPIADACEAE]; Asclepias physocarpa Schltr. [ASCLEPIADACEAE]; Asclepias sp. [ASCLEPIADACEAE]; Stapelia grandiflora Masson [ASCLEPIADACEAE]).
Extra Ecological Information
All known larval food plants are introduced.
General References
Ackery, P.R. & Vane-Wright, R.I. 1984. Milkweed Butterflies their Cladistics and Biology being an account of the natural history of the Danainae, a subfamily of the Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae. London : British Museum (Natural History) 425 pp. [201] (detailed biology and taxonomy)
Common, I.F.B. & Waterhouse, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xiv 682 pp. 49 pls. [302] (biology)
Fruhstorfer, H. 1910. The Indo-Australian Rhopalocera. [Danaidae]. pp. 192-215 in Seitz, A. (ed.). The Macrolepidoptera of the World: a systematic description of the hitherto known macrolepidoptera. Stuttgart : Alfred Kernen Vol. 9 1197 pp. [192] (biology)
James, D.G. 1982. A transient non-breeding population of Danaus plexippus (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) near Picton, New South Wales. Australian Entomological Magazine 8(6): 96-99 [96] (included bibliography)
James, D.G. 1982. Ovarian dormancy in Danaus plexippus (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) — oligopause not diapause. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 21: 31-35 [31] (included bibliography)
James, D.G. 1984. Migration and clustering phenology of Danaus plexippus (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 23: 199-204 [199] (included bibliography)
James, D.G. 1986. Studies on the migration of Danaus plexippus (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Sydney area. Australian Entomological Magazine 13(1, 2): 27-31 [27] (included bibliography)
James, D.G. 1988. Migration and behaviour of non-reproductive Danaus plexippus (L.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. Australian Entomological Magazine 15(1): 25-30 [25] (includes bibliography)
Malcolm, S.B. & Zalucki, M.P. (eds) 1993. The Biology of Conservation of the Monarch Butterfly. Los Angeles : Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County xii 419 pp. [1] (detailed biology)
Urquhart, F.A. 1960. The Monarch Butterfly. Toronto : University of Toronto Press 361 pp. [1] (detailed biology)
Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls. [Date published 25 July 1914] [16, 17] (as Danaida archippus Fabricius, 1793 and as Danaida plexippus Linnaeus, 1758, description, distribution)
Zalucki, M.P. & Kitching, R.L. 1982. Dynamics of oviposition in Danaus plexippus (Insecta: Lepidoptera) on milkweed, Asclepias spp. Journal of Zoology, London 198: 103-116 [103] (included bibliography)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-Mar-2024 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 04-Feb-2023 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 22-Dec-2023 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby (ANU) |
| 13-May-2022 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 26-Feb-2021 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 04-Jun-2020 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | Dr Michael Braby |
| 13-Dec-2017 | Danaini | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | |
| 04-Jun-2020 | NYMPHALIDAE Rafinesque, 1815 | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | |
| 06-Sep-2017 | PAPILIONOIDEA | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | |
| 01-Feb-2016 | Danaini | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | |
| 05-Mar-2013 | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | ||
| 30-Mar-2012 | 07-Mar-2024 | MODIFIED | ||
| 27-Apr-2011 | 27-Apr-2011 | MOVED | ||
| 05-Apr-2011 | MOVED |