Milkweed butterfly

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For the mythological fifty daughters of Danaus, see Danaides.

Milkweed butterflies

Three Milkweed butterflies

Kingdom:	Animalia
Division:	Rhopalocera
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Subfamily:	Danainae

Tribes

Danaini
Tellervini
Ithomiini
but see text

Synonyms

Danaidae

Milkweed butterflies are a subfamily, Danainae, in the family Nymphalidae, or brush-footed butterflies. They lay their eggs on various milkweeds on which their larvae (caterpillars) feed. Historically, this group has often been considered a separate family, Danaidae, and the tribes placed herein are also sometimes considered distinct subfamilies in the Nymphalidae.

There are some 300 species of Danainae worldwide, but only four are found in North America - the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus); the Queen (Danaus gilippus); the Tropical Milkweed Butterfly (Lycorea cleobaea); and the Soldier Butterfly (or "Tropic Queen"; Danaus eresimus). Most of the Danaini are found in tropical Asia and Africa, while the Ithomiini are diverse in the Neotropics.

The best known member of this family is the Monarch butterfly. The larvae and the butterflies retain the poisonous glycosides from the milkweed so they become poisonous to the predators. These milkweed butterflies (Monarch, Queen, Soldier) will eat only milkweed and nothing else. This is a highly effective defense strategy, shielding them against almost all predators, as potential predators learn to avoid these species quickly after attempting to eat them.

Another member known especially for its presence in butterfly greenhouses and live butterfly expositions is the Southeast Asian Idea leuconoe.

Numerous wasps are parasitoids of milkweed butterfly caterpillars.