Milkweed Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

SUBFAMILY DANAINAE

• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

• Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

• Butterflies (Superfamily Papilionoidea)

• Brush-footed Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)

• Milkweed Butterflies (Subfamily Danainae)

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Subfamily Danainae is a prominent group of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae) that includes the milkweed butterflies, monarchs, and their relatives. In Mexico, Danainae are especially diverse in tropical and subtropical regions, occurring in habitats ranging from coastal forests and tropical dry forests to mountain woodlands and open grasslands. These butterflies are typically medium to large in size and are known for their slow, graceful flight and striking patterns of orange, black, brown, blue, or white that serve as warning coloration to predators.

MILKWEED BUTTERFLIES - TRIBES