Milkweed-butterflies
Guides
Danaini
Tiger and Crow Butterflies, Tiger butterflies
Danaini is a tribe of brush-footed butterflies within the milkweed butterfly subfamily Danainae. The tribe includes approximately 300 species across multiple subtribes, most notably Danaina (containing the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus and related tiger butterflies) and Euploeina (containing crow butterflies and tree nymphs). Members are characterized by reduced forelegs, bright aposematic coloration, and associations with plants containing defensive compounds. The tribe lacks a fixed colloquial name, though 'tiger butterflies' is occasionally applied to subtribe Danaina.
Danaus
tiger milkweed butterflies, tigers, milkweeds, monarchs, wanderers, queens
Danaus is a genus of butterflies in the tiger butterfly tribe (Danaini), commonly known as tiger milkweed butterflies, monarchs, wanderers, and queens. The genus includes some of the most recognizable butterflies worldwide, notably the migratory monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Species in this genus are characterized by their association with milkweed host plants (Asclepias spp.), from which larvae sequester cardiac glycosides for chemical defense. The genus has a global distribution spanning North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Indonesia, and Australia, and serves as an important model system for studying migration, plant-insect coevolution, and genome evolution.