Overview
Monarchs and milkweed butterflies are members of Danainae, which is a subfamily of the Family Nymphalidae. The best known member of this family is the Monarch butterfly. Danaid females lay their eggs on the milkweed on which their larvae feed. The larvae and the butterflies retain the poisonous glycosides from the milkweed and are poisonous to predators.[1]
Taxonomy
The Subfamily Danainae is a member of the Family Nymphalidae. Here is the complete "parentage" of Danainae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Superorder: Panorpida
- Order: Lepidoptera
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Subfamily: Danainae - Milkweed Butterflies
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Order: Lepidoptera
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Superorder: Panorpida
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Subfamily Danainae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Tribe (3): Danaini · Ithomiini · Tellervini
- Subtribe (10): Danaina · Dircennina · Euploeina · Godyridina · Ithomiina · Mechanitina · Melinaeina · Napeogenina · Oleriina · Tithoreina
- Genus (68): Aeria · Amaurina · Amauris · Anetia · Anosia · Aremfoxia · Athesis · Athyrtis · Callithomia · Ceratinia · Ceratiscada · Danais · Danaus · Dircenna · Doricha · Elzunia · Episcada · Epityches · Euploea · Eutresis · Forbestra · Godyris · Greta · Hamadryas · Hestia · Heterosais · Heteroscada · Hyalenna · Hyalyris · Hypoleria · Hypomenitis · Hyposcada · Hypothyris · Idea · Ideopsis · Ithomia · Lycorea · Mcclungia · Mechanitis · Melinaea · Melinda · Methona · Miraleria · Napeogenes · Oleria · Olyras · Pagyris · Paititia · Parantica · Patricia · Placidina · Plexippus · Prittwitzia · Protoploea · Pseudoscada · Pteronymia · Sais · Salatura · Scada · Tabuda · Tellervo · Thyridia · Tiradelphe · Tirumala · Tithorea · Vadebra · Veladyris · Velamysta
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 3,951 species and subspecies in the Subfamily Danainae.
Genera
Aeria
Gaussia is a in the palm family, native to Mexico, Central America and the Greater Antilles. They are solitary, unarmed, and have pinnately compound leaves. The trees have enlarged bases and prop-roots. [more]
Amaurina
Amauris
Amauris is a genus of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. [more]
Anetia
Anetia is a genus of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. [more]
Anosia
Aremfoxia
Athesis
Athesis is a genus of clearwing (ithomiine) butterflies, named by Doubleday in 1847. They are in the brush-footed butterfly family, Nymphalidae. [more]
Athyrtis
Callithomia
Ceratinia
Ceratiscada
Danais
Danaus
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[2] [more]
Dircenna
Doricha
Doricha is a genus of in the Trochilidae family. It contains the following species: [more]
Elzunia
Episcada
Epityches
Euploea
Euploea is a genus of milkweed butterflies. The species are generally dark in coloration, often quite blackish, for which reason they are commonly called crows. As usual for their subfamily, they are poisonous due to feeding on milkweeds and other toxic plants as caterpillars. The latter are aposematically colored to warn off predators from eating them, and the adult butterflies are often mimicked by unrelated species which are not or less poisonous. [more]
Eutresis
Forbestra
Godyris
Greta
Hamadryas
A Genus in the Kingdom unknown!.[3] [more]
Hestia
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[4] [more]
Heterosais
Heteroscada
Hyalenna
Hyalyris
Hypoleria
Hypomenitis
Hyposcada
Hypothyris
Idea
An idea is a concept or mental impression. Very often, ideas are construed as representational images; i.e. images of some object. In other contexts, ideas are taken to be concepts, although abstract concepts do not necessarily appear as images. Many philosophers consider ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being. The capacity to create and understand the meaning of ideas is considered to be an essential and defining feature of human beings. In a popular sense, an idea arises in a reflex, spontaneous manner, even without thinking or serious reflection, for example, when we talk about the idea of a person or a place. [more]
Ideopsis
Ideopsis is a genus of butterflies in the subfamily Danainae. [more]
Ithomia
Lycorea
Mcclungia
Mechanitis
Melinaea
Melinda
The modern name Melinda is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa meaning "honeysuckle" in Greek. It is also associated with the Greek word meli, meaning "honey", and with Linda, meaning "gentle, soft, tender" in the Germanic languages. [more]
Methona
Miraleria
Napeogenes
Oleria
Olyras
Pagyris
Paititia
Parantica
Parantica is an genus of butterflies in subfamily Danainae of family Nymphalidae. It contains the species: [more]
Patricia
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[5] [more]
Placidina
Plexippus
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[6] [more]
Prittwitzia
Protoploea
The The Magpie (Protoploea apatela) is a species of butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is monotypic within the genus Protoploea. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. [more]
Pseudoscada
Pteronymia
Sais
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[7] [more]
Salatura
Scada
Tabuda
Tellervo
Thyridia
Tiradelphe
The Schneider's Surprise (Tiradelphe schneideri) is a species of butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is monotypic within the genus Tiradelphe. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands. [more]
Tirumala
Tirumala ({{lang-te|??????}, {Tamil:???????}) is a hill town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirumala is a pilgrim center of Hindus. Popularly known as Sri Venkateswara Temple. Tirumala is dedicated for the Shrimann Narayana or Maha Vishnu. Sri Rengam, Tirumala and Badrinath are other existing places of Archavathara temples of Vishnu. [more]
Tithorea
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[8] [more]
Vadebra
Veladyris
Velamysta
At least 8 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Velamysta.
More info about the Genus Velamysta may be found here.
Footnotes
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Plexippus&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Danaus&search=Search
- http://www.ubio.org/browser/details.php?namebankID=112819
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Hestia&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Patricia&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Plexippus&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Sais&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Tithorea&search=Search
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
- Photographs on this page are copyrighted by individual photographers, and individual copyrights apply.
- The technology underlying this page, including the controls behind Keep Exploring, is owned by the BayScience Foundation. All rights are reserved.