Milkweed Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

TRIBE DANAINI

DANAINI - MILKWEED BUTTERFLIES - GENUSES

• 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)

• Tribe Danaini

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Tribe Danaini is a tribe of butterflies within the subfamily Danainae of the family Nymphalidae, commonly known as the milkweed butterflies. Many species, including the famous Monarch, have larvae that feed on milkweeds and related plants containing toxic compounds known as cardenolides. These toxins are retained by the caterpillars and often carried into adulthood, making the butterflies distasteful to predators. As a result, many Danaini species display conspicuous warning coloration and participate in complex mimicry systems.