Studies of D. erippus (South American) by Stephen Malcolm

[Mona Miller]

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com ... ed-advice/
Monarch Butterflies: Miles to Go Before They Sleep (and Lay Eggs)
This is an interesting comparison with a similar species of Monarch in South America

[Paul Cherubini]

I posted this comment to the article:

"The monarch migrations in Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal wouldn’t exist unless man had introduced non-native milkweeds to those countries. Therefore I profoundly disagree with Dr. Malcolm’s position that: “Asclepias curassavica, is really from South America, and I don’t think it should be used intentionally to feed wild monarch larvae in North America."

Here are photos I took of migratory monarchs at an overwintering site in Australia in early May 1995 (= Nov. 1995 in the northern hemisphere) http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87/4ALC/therpk.jpg
http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu87 ... herpkb.jpg
These butterflies looked and behaved exactly like USA fall migrant monarchs. And ALL of them fed on the non-native introduced African milkweed Asclepias fruticosa when they were caterpillars.

So if the Australians decided to adopt Dr. Malcolms "zero tolerance" policy for non-native milkweeds, the migratory monarch would go extinct in Australia.

[Morti]

I'm not so sure about Spain, though. Back in the 80's, Plain Tiger butterflies (Danaus chrysippus) started to colonize the southeastern coast of Spain, flying over the Mediterranean Sea from northern Africa. At first they reached the coast but did not stay all year long; but still they kept coming in year after year, till they finally got established. Spanish entomologists found that the caterpillars from the recently established population were feeding on Cynanchum acutum, which belongs to the milkweed family and is endemic to the Mediterranean area.
However, C. acutum isn't limited to the Spanish coast, but it's fairly well distributed within the country. So, who knows, maybe the scene is all ready and set for the establishment of a D. plexippus colony there, even without considering non-native milkweeds such as Asclepias curassavica (which seems to be fairly common in Spain anyway).

[sbannister]

Hey, guys

I found something related and interesting in a book from my local public library - "100 Butterflies and Moths" by J. Miller, D. Janzen & W. Hallwachs. The authors state that there is a D. plexippus in Costa Rica. It is found there year round. It looks a little different than "our" Monarch - it is slightly smaller with shorter forewings. From my observation of the photo, it does not have white spots in the dark band at the trailing margin of the hind wing that we are used to seeing. Anyway, these butterflies move from the rain forest side of Costa Rica into the dry side once the wet season begins there, so the authors say they are "a nomadic to migrant species...clearly congruent with the evolution of behavior in more northern populations."

Beside this, I found this book is really amazing and beautiful. It has photos of species I have never seen, both adult and caterpillar. I never get tired of all the amazing and beautiful variations of these insects. Anyone reading this forum would most likely enjoy this book.

[Morti]

The authors state that there is a D. plexippus in Costa Rica. It is found there year round. It looks a little different than "our" Monarch - it is slightly smaller with shorter forewings. From my observation of the photo, it does not have white spots in the dark band at the trailing margin of the hind wing that we are used to seeing.

Yep, Danaus plexippus should even reach northern South America, if I remember right.
Re the white spots on the trailing margin of the hindwings, I rear D. erippus and, while spring and summer butterflies have the usual ‘string’ of white spots there, the ones that eclose in the fall sometimes don't. Their black markings get thicker as the weather gets colder, till they eventually fill in the white spots. But again, leps have all kinds of variations, they're amazing creatures.

[sbannister]

thanks for your post Morti. They are cool.

[Mona Miller]

Stray and they do, I think that is why they called them the Wanderer.

I had some interesting Monarchs in 2009:

During a butterfly release at a local park my friend Harry Pavulaan went running through the field when he saw one of these Monarchs. He yelled "aberrant". They have white subapical spots. The normal color is orange.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26695859@N00/3722590218/
I told Harry to stop that I had plenty left in my tent at home. I rear local butterfly species for conservation. I also try to save and create habitat.

I copied a couple of pages from "A Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America, East of the Great Plains" by Alexander B. Klots (just click on the photos to enlarge them, you will have to click and then click again).
http://s964.photobucket.com/albums/ae121/Runmede/Klots/
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