Viceroy Butterfly - Limenitis archippus
Superfamily: Papilionidae (The true butterflies) / Family: Nymphalidae (Brushfoot butterflies) / Subfamily: Limenitidinae
Live viceroy and monarch butterflies photographed at DuPage County, Illinois.
Mated pair of viceroy butterflies
Mated pair of viceroy butterflies, female on the left

Male viceroys perch on vegetaion and patrol a territory waiting for females. Copulation is accomplished tail-to-tail, with the much larger female "towing" the male around. Unlike many other insects, (dragonflies, damselflies, robber flies, et al) viceroys are not capable of sustained, controlled flight while mated. (Not long after I wrote this, I saw two viceroys flying in tandem with the female towing the male in a very rapid, straight-line flight across my field of view, a distance of many dozens of yards - so obviously, they fly very well connected.)

Limenitis, the genus name, comes from the Latin for "marsh", but I often find viceroys in tall grass or weedy fields some distance from any water or swampy areas.

Viceroy compared to Monarch, side-by-side:


Viceroy Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Viceroy

Monarch

It is frequently noted that the Viceroy (a non-toxic butterfly) mimics the aposematic coloring of the supposedly toxic Monarch butterfly. However, recent research suggests this so-called Batesian mimicry may not be as simple as first thought; CLICK HERE to read an article detailing recent scientific thinking on  the Viceroy -  Monarch puzzle.

Female Viceroy Butterfly
Female Viceroy Butterfly

[Go to Cirrus Monarch Photos]

Northern Pearly Eye
Enodia anthedon

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

American Painted Lady
Vanessa virginiensis

 

               
 
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