Texas Danaid Photographs

Monarch Ova:

• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Jim Ellis, Ontario
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Larval head capsule visible through egg shell - Dan Leeder, New Jersey

Queen Ova: 

• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society

Soldier Ova:

• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society

Monarch Larvae:

• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and Queen (D. gilippus) - First instar larvae - Michoacan, MX 
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - First instar emerging from egg shell - osmia, British Columbia
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - First instar eating egg shell - Mike Deep, New York
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Second instar larva
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Fifth & fourth instars showing extreme color variation
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Cohort aggression
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Fifth instar, see first instar feeding damage (hole in leaf) near caterpillar's head 
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Injured caterpillar
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Shed skin and head capsule
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Fourth instar stretching thorax - pre-molt?
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Eating through stem of A. curassavica
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Eating through stem
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Late instar feeding on leaf - close-up
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Fifth instar larva - petiole notching
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Second instar as prey of assassin bug (Zelus sp., Reduviidae) - note ant on back of larva
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Second instar as prey of assassin bug (Zelus sp., Reduviidae)
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Pre-pupal parasitized larva
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Pre-pupal J 
• Five monarch instars - Photo by Karen Oberhauser
• Crochet hooks on bottom of prolegs - Journey North

Queen Larvae:

• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and Queen (D. gilippus) - First instar larvae - Michoacan, MX
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Dead caterpillar
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Dead caterpillar
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Dead caterpillar
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Feeding on seed pod
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Feeding on flower bud
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Feeding on leaf (note emerging frass pellet)
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Initial stage of molt - Note separation of exoskeleton from head capsule 
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Lateral view on stem
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Dark form larva from Central Texas - Photo by Bill Lindemann

Soldier Larvae:

• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - First Illustration of a Soldier Larva - 1791
• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society
• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Showing prepupal color change - Alan Chin-Lee, Florida

Monarch Pupae:

• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Pupation site: latch on inside of screen door! 
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Parasitized by Tachinidae Flies
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Parasitized by a wasp - Charley Eiseman, Vermont
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Oozing at base of wing!
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Transparent pupa enclosing pharate adult
• Cremaster hooks at top of pupa - Journey North
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Being predated by European Paper Wasps (Polistes dominula) - L. Tarnow, Illinois

Queen Pupa 

• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society

Soldier Pupa

• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society

Monarch Adults:

• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Dorsal view on Aster sp.
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Extreme wear
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Fresh dorsal
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Fresh lateral
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Hanging from pupa
• Monarch (Danaus plexippus) - Climbing above pupa
• Monarch (male) mating with a Queen (female) - Austin, TX - Photo by Dinges & Holland
• Monarch with Tag

Monarch Tags Recovered at El Rosario Monarch Sanctuary, 2004 - Gil Quintanilla

Queen Adults:

• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Dorsal on Asclepias curassavica
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Lateral on Eupatorium sp.
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Multiple Queens on Eupatorium greggii head
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Multiple Queens on Senecio sp.
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Lateral closeup on Senecio confusis
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Multiple Queens on Senecio confusis
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Multiple Queens on Asclepias curassavica
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Courtship - Note Hair Pencils extended from end of male's abdomen
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Pollen on face
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Probing on Asclepias curassavica
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Deformed wing
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Damaged wing
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - As prey of spider (Araneidae) 
• Queen (Danaus gilippus) - Aberrant male 

Soldier Adults:

• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Dorsal view
• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Lateral view - pale
• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Lateral view - typical
• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Lateral view - dark
• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Lateral view - very dark
• Soldier (Danaus eresimus) - Mating

Tiger Mimic-Queen 

• Tiger Mimic-Queen (Lycorea cleobaea) - Dorsal & Lateral view (There are four U.S. records for this species, 2 from Texas)

Viceroy

• Egg - Caterpillar - Adult - Dallas County Lepidopterist's Society
  • Adult Viceroys are differentiated from all the above by the black line through their hind wings
  • Viceroys are mostly found along wet areas where their caterpillar food plants (Willows & Cottonwoods) grow
  • Contrary to popular belief, Viceroy butterflies are bad tasting just like the Monarchs!

Monarch Videos via YouTube

• Caterpillar Hatching - Accelerated
• Caterpillar Pupating - Time-lapse
• Caterpillar Pupating, Emerging - In Real Time
• Butterfly Emerging from Pupa
• Monarch Emerging from Pupa - Set to 2001 A Space Odyssey

19 Aug 2009 © Mike Quinn / entomike@gmail.com / Texas Entomology