http://www.ck12.org Chapter 14. Understanding Biodiversity: Animals: Invertebrates
14.2 Danaus plexippus: Monarch Butterfly
Common Name
- Monarch Butterfly
- Milkweed Butterfly
Description
The monarch butterfly has a black outline, and inside of the black border is orange color. On the edge there are white
dots. Altogether, it looks like a stained glass window. The monarch weighs between .0095 to 0.026 ounces and is
about 4 inches wide when the wings are open.
Man affects the monarch butterfly by using the fields and meadows that they live in to make buildings, so the
butterfly’s home is taken away.
The complete taxonomic classification is:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Genus:Danaus
- Species:D. plexippus