Page 218 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION Africa, southern Europe, India, Sri Lanka, China, and areas
of Southeast Asia
HABITAT Open country, deserts, grasslands, and gardens up to
8,200 ft (2,500 m) elevation
HOST PLANTS Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)
NOTE Monarch-like caterpillar that has extra tentacles
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common

ADULT WINGSPAN
2⅛–2⅜ in (55–60 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH

1 ⁄ –1⅜ in (30–35 mm)
DANAUS CHRYSIPPUS
PLAIN TIGER
216
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

The female Plain Tiger perches on the upper side of a leaf
and, curling its abdomen around the edge, lays an egg on the
underside. Only one egg is laid per leaf to avoid overcrowding.

After the caterpillar hatches, its rst meal is the eggshell. It lives
its entire life on the lower side of the leaves. Larvae defend
themselves against some predators by sequestering poisons from

their host plants. However, at least one parasitic wasp is speci c
to this species and can be responsible for up to 85 percent of

mortality in an a ected population.

Plain Tigers are usually encountered singly or in twos and
threes. They have a slow, undulating flight, and both sexes
patrol flowery areas, taking nectar. An alternative name
for the species is African Monarch, and it is closely related
to the well-known North American Monarch (Danaus
plexippus). The caterpillars of the two species are very similar,
but the Plain Tiger has an extra pair of tentacles, which it uses

to try to avoid being parasitized by ies and wasps.

The Plain Tiger caterpillar is banded in
black and white, interspersed with thick,
yellow dorsolateral spots. It has three pairs
of red-based, long, black, tentacle-like dorsal
appendages on the third, sixth, and twelfth
segments. The head is smooth and has
alternating black and white semicircular
bands. The true legs and prolegs are black.
Actual size