Monarch Butterfly
Danaus plexippus
This record describes Danaus plexippus (species). Recorded family: Danaidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
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Terms from the source record, grouped for readability. Broad terms such as size or location are not measurements or a confirmed range.
Wikipedia reference for Danaus plexippus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaus plexippus.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Papilionoidea
- Family
- Danaidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
- Subfamily
- Danainae
- Tribe
- Danaini
- Genus
- Danaus (Tiger Milkweed Butterflies)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
The monarch butterfly undertakes one of the longest insect migrations - up to 3,000 miles from Canada to Mexico. Eastern populations have declined >80% since the mid-1990s. The IUCN lists migratory monarchs as Vulnerable (changed from Endangered in 2023). By 2080, extinction probability ranges from 56-74% for eastern monarchs.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Danaus plexippus. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Monarch Butterfly (11)
Photo credits: (c) bookfinch, some rights reserved (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/404571944. Original downloaded bytes; proportional display only