Plain Tiger - Danaus Chrysippus
Scientific name - Danaus chrysippus Linnaeus
Old name - Danais chrysippus Linnaeus
Plain Tiger or African Monarch is a butterfly with a wingspan of 70- 80 mm. this is a tawny, medium sized butterfly. The body is black, spotted with white. The apical half of the fore wing is black and marked with a pure white band. The hind wing has three small, black spots approximately at the centre. The male has an additional larger and slightly bulging white centered spot. This spot is a cluster of scent scales that attract females. The hind wing has a thin, black border that encloses a series of semicircular white spots. The butterfly is somewhat oily and smooth to touch. The male is smaller than the female.
Larval Host Plants
The caterpillars feed on "milkweed" plants. These in our region, include a large bush - Calotropis gigantea, a herb growing in the vicinity of water - Asclepias curassavica and a straggling bush - Cryptolepis buchnani (Asclepiadaceae). The first two are commonly used.
1 comments:
Lovely butterfly! She is so pretty!
Post a Comment