''Danaus petilia'', the lesser wanderer, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

in the

nymphalid The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have ...

Danainae Danainae is a subfamily of the family Nymphalidae, the brush-footed butterflies. The group may be referred to as the Danaids (reflecting their previous rank as a family) or milkweed butterflies, as they often lay their eggs on various milkweed ...

subfamily. It is a migratory species which is found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and in tropical countries. Previously considered a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of ''

Danaus chrysippus ''Danaus chrysippus'', also known as the plain tiger, African queen, or African monarch, is a medium-sized butterfly widespread in Asia, Australia and Africa. It belongs to the Danainae subfamily of the brush-footed butterfly Family (biology), f ...

'', this species came about through

allopatric speciation Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

. The deep sea barrier called Lydekker's Line, located by the Molluccas and the Sahul Shelf, was what separated ''Danaus petilia'' from ''Danaus chrysippus cratippus''. Its

caterpillars Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

feed on native and introduced cotton bush species. Lesser Wanderer

A common butterfly with nomadic populations, particularly in central Australia where many native host plants die of during dry periods, and in south eastern Australia where it is too cold for them in winter. Butterflies prefer an open country or farmland habitat. Flight is generally slow and close to the ground.

Host plants

Host plants include of a range of native and introduced plants that have a milky sap like Gomphocarpus, Cynanchum, Secamone, Marsdenia, Ascelpias, Calotropis, Stapelia and many more.

References

External links

* Danaus (butterfly) Butterflies described in 1790 Butterflies of Australia Taxa named by Caspar Stoll {{Danainae-stub

Host plants

References

Further reading

External links