Danaus chrysippus
80-1 400 rub.

Danaus chrysippus (Danaus chrysippus)

Phylum — arthropoda
Class — insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family — nymphalidae

Genus – danaus

Appearance

The larvae of Danaus chrysippus proceeds through five instar stages. The first instar is about 4 mm (0.16 in) long, and its body is white while the head is black. The second instar is about 8 mm (0.31 in) long, and its body is primarily gray with yellow and black horizontal stripes. This coloration remains for the final three instar stages. The third instar is about 14 mm (0.55 in) long, the fourth about 25 mm (0.98 in) long, and the fifth about 36 mm (1.4 in) long.

Danaus chrysippus is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of about 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 in). The body is black with many white spots. The wings are orange, the upperside brighter and richer than the underside. The apical half of the forewing is black with a white band. The hindwing has three black spots in the center. The wings are bordered in black and outlined with semicircular white spots. This species exhibits slight sexual dimorphism, as the Male has large scent glands on his hindwings, which the female lacks. They appear as a large black spot with a white center if viewed from the underside.

Habitat

This butterfly is found in the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Behavior

It demonstrates daily activity. The flight is slow.

Butterflies are poisonous. The caterpillar and the butterfly are protected from predators due to the alkaloids that they acquire from the plants that they eat. If a butterfly is attacked, it pretends to be dead and releases a very foul-smelling liquid.

Diet

The larval host plants of the Danaus chrysippus are in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae.

Butterflies feed on nectar.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a mesh cage with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs singly on the underside of the leaves of a larval food plant. The eggs are most often laid close to the ground. The egg is about 1.7 mm (0.067 in) long and 0.5 mm (0.020 in) across. When first laid it is white, but gradually turns brown over time. The egg is ridged and dome-shaped. The incubation period is 3-5 days. . It is better to keep the caterpillars in mesh cages for 6-8 insects. In the cage, you need to place a branch of the forage plant. Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days. The temperature is 22-25 oC at the humidity of 60-65%. The pupae are ovate and smooth. They are pale green with a double chain of tiny black and golden dots on the convex underside. The pupa stage lasts 9-15 days. The butterfly lives up to 7-15 days.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed the butterflies with an overripe banana or give them a syrup of honey diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.