Queen
Danaus gilippus (Cramer, 1776)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Danainae
Identification: Upperside is chestnut brown; black borders of forewings have 2 rows of white spots; white spots are scattered at the forewing apex. Underside of hindwing has black veins; black borders of both wings have 2 rows of white spots. Upperside of male hindwing has a black scale patch. Very similar to the Soldier (Danaus eresimus), but is more brown and has less defined wing veins on the upperside. Underside hindwing lacks band of pale spots present in the Soldier. Queens in the southwest (and sometimes in the southeast) have pale veins on the upperside of the hindwings, which are lacking in the Soldier.
Wing Span: 2 5/8 - 3 7/8 inches (6.7 - 9.8 cm).
Life History: To find females, males patrol all day. Females lay eggs singly on leaves, stems, and flower buds; which the caterpillars eat. Adults roost communally.
Flight: All year in Florida and South Texas, July-August in the north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Milkweeds and milkweed vines. Some of the milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides which are stored in the bodies of both the caterpillar and adult. These poisons are distasteful and emetic to birds and other vertebrate predators. After tasting a Queen, a predator might associate the bright warning colors of the adult or caterpillar with an unpleasant meal, and avoid Queens in the future.
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers including milkweeds, fogfruit, and shepherd's needle.
Habitat: Open, sunny areas including fields, deserts, roadsides, pastures, dunes, washes, and waterways.
Range: Resident in extreme southern United States south through tropical lowlands of the West Indies and Central America to Argentina. Regular stray and sometime colonist in the plains; rarely along Atlantic coastal plain to Massachusetts and the Great Plains. Comments: The Florida Viceroy (Limenitis archippus floridensis) is also inedible and mimics the Queen.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 73 - 96 of 1650 verified sightings
Observation date: Dec 27, 2022
Submitted by: Rosa Ruperto
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 23, 2023
Observation date: Nov 23, 2022
Submitted by: chirpus
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 22, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 2021
Submitted by: Brynne Bryan
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 18, 2023
Observation date: Dec 10, 2022
Submitted by: Marta Reece
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 16, 2023
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: mfernandabarraza
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 02, 2023
Observation date: Dec 30, 2022
Submitted by: John Gibbons
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 31, 2022
Observation date: Dec 21, 2022
Submitted by: Erik Stabl
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 22, 2022
Observation date: Feb 14, 2019
Submitted by: David F Smith
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 12, 2022
Observation date: Dec 03, 2022
Submitted by: L.Hale
Region: Texas, Lubbock County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 03, 2022
Observation date: Oct 31, 2022
Submitted by: Monarchmama
Region: Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 02, 2022
Observation date: Nov 29, 2022
Submitted by: Monarchmama
Region: Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 01, 2022
Observation date: Nov 12, 2022
Submitted by: DebraRade
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Nov 14, 2022
Observation date: Nov 10, 2022
Submitted by: lilkriskattn
Region: Texas, Montague County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 10, 2022
Observation date: Oct 30, 2022
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 03, 2022
Observation date: Oct 27, 2022
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 01, 2022
Observation date: Oct 30, 2022
Submitted by: Rmclaughlin
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 31, 2022
Observation date: Oct 29, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 30, 2022
Observation date: Sep 18, 2022
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 23, 2022
Observation date: Oct 17, 2022
Submitted by: spmaestro
Region: Ellis County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 23, 2022
Observation date: Dec 28, 2021
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 22, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2015
Submitted by: pretzeleater
Region: Cayman Islands
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 22, 2022
Observation date: Oct 21, 2022
Submitted by: SamanthaI
Region: Bell County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 19, 2022
Observation date: Oct 14, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 19, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 4 of 69
- next ›