Sometimes the Viceroy is mistaken for a Monarch. Note the black vein running across the back wings is not present in true Monarchs as it is in this Viceroy.Male Monarch image (C)opyright Jerry Schurr
Male Monarch image (C)opyright The Butterfly Website Gallery XXI
Monarch Larva image Williams, Ernest, and Donald and Lillian Stokes 1991 The Butterfly Book - An Easy Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification, and Behavior. Little, Brown and Company, Boston.
Corel Draw Photographic Images CD-ROM
Link provided by: The Butterfly Website.
These images are provided courtesy of The Butterfly Website
Summary
Monarchs may be found in most of the USA, Canada, and Mexico, including Hawaii, Indonesia, Australasia, and the Canary IslandsWell-known for its yearly migrations, it is a favorite among hobbyists.
The larva are striped with black, yellow, and white, with a pair of tentacles on fore and hind ends.
Larva feed on milkweeds (Asclepias) and related plants, including some vines, and dogbame (Apocynum).
Spring and summer generations are fertile, with a single female laying approximately 300 and 600 eggs during her lifetime. The eggs are small and white, elongated and ribbed. Usually attached to the undersides of leaves near the central vein. On some smaller milkweeds, or vines, eggs may be as likely to be laid on the top surface of the leaf. Usually fewer than 3 eggs may be found per plant.
Larva are striped with yellow, black, and white, with a pair of black 'antenna' at each end. They are normally solitary while in this stage, preferring to hide on the undersides of the host plant. Average time spent in this stage is about 12 days.
Pupa are generally not found on or near the host plant. They usually travel up to 20 feet from the host plant and hang upside down from any near-horizontal surface, their head curled upward so that the larva appears to be in a 'J' position. When the outer skin is shed, the pupa is mint-green with gold and black 'stitching'. This stage lasts for approximately 2 weeks. Emergence is near when you can begin to see the wing colors through the skin of the pupa.
Upon emergence, the butterfly hangs from the pupa shell, pumping fluids into its wings and drying them.
**Note** Only the males have the small dark spots in the center portion of the hind wings. These are pheremone centers, used to seduce prospective female mates.
Small wasps tend to prey on these larva, laying an egg deep inside the body, which will hatch and begin to eat away its insides. The wasp larva will usually emerge when the larva attempts to pupate. The wasp larva look like a small white maggot.
One viral infection, in particular, is deadly to the Monarch in larval stage. It is a form of nuclear virus used to control the gypsy moth. It is EXTREMELY contagious. Information on this virus can be found here.
There is another known 'parasite' in the form of a fungs(?) which is carried on the scales of the wings, and can be passed from male to female while mating, and then passed from female to eggshell when egg laying occurs. The tiny larva eat the eggshell upon hatching, ingesting the fungus(?), which begins to multiply as the larva grows. Upon pupation, the fungus(?) forms on the scales of the developing butterfly. The main problem reported with this fungus is that it shortens the lifespan of the adult butterfly by up to 50%. West coast populations of Monarchs tend to have a higher level of infection of this fungus(?) according to recent reports. (1997)
Page last updated: Oct. 21,1997