Pyrrolizidine-alkaloids
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.
Neacoryphus bicrucis
Whitecrossed seed bug, Ragwort seed bug, White-crossed seed bug
Neacoryphus bicrucis is a seed-feeding true bug (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) commonly known as the whitecrossed seed bug or ragwort seed bug. The species is specialized on Senecio species as host plants, from which it sequesters pyrrolizidine alkaloids that render it distasteful to some predators. It exhibits complex territorial and mating behaviors centered on host plant patches, with males defending high-density areas where females preferentially oviposit. The species shows pronounced sexual dimorphism in flight behavior: females conditionally histolyze flight muscles based on resource availability, while males retain flight capability throughout life. It has a broad distribution across the Americas and has been introduced to Oceania.
Phragmatobia fuliginosa
Ruby Tiger, Ruby Tiger Moth
Phragmatobia fuliginosa, the Ruby Tiger, is a moth in the subfamily Arctiinae of family Erebidae. It has a wingspan of 35–45 mm and is distinguished by dark reddish-brown forewings with a blackish comma-shaped spot and bright carmine to rose-red hindwings. The species is widely distributed across the Palearctic and into northern North America, with multiple recognized subspecies including the North American P. f. rubricosa. It exhibits geographic variation in generation time: univoltine in northern regions with adults flying in June, and bivoltine in southern Britain with adults appearing April–June and again August–September.