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Danaus plexippus

Pepe Renga (MG)

Monarch Butterfly

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult and caterpillar	53KB
Image:	caterpillar - chrysalis - hatched adult	47KB
Article:	Cook Islands' Largest Butterfly - the Monarch Gerald McCormack, December 2005	Read

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Monarch Butterfly, Wanderer Butterfly, Milkweed Butterfly

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pepe (RR AT MK MT AK), Pepe Renga (MG)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Canada - Mexico - n.S.America; since ~1850 cirumglobal, incl. Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group - widespread, uncommon; N.Group - absent; Land

KEY FEATURES: Large orange and black butterfly, to 10cmWS. BODY black with white markings. WINGS orange with black veins and wide black border with white spots. MALE has a black spot near inner vein on hindwing. CATERPILLAR to 5cmBL, whole body has narrow black, yellow, and white bands. PUPA (=chrysalis) green with gold spots

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++	++	++	++	++	P	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Lepidoptera; NYMPHALIDAE, sf.Danainae

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimen+photo, 1980s-1990s, associated with Blood Flower, G.McCormack with ID as Danaus plexippus; reported on Dugdale List99 as Danaus plexippus; Mangaia: fieldspecimens, 1980s-1990s, associated with Blood Flower, G.McCormack with ID as Danaus plexippus; Atiu: fieldspecimens, 1980s-1990s, associated with Blood Flower, G.McCormack with ID as Danaus plexippus; Mauke: fieldspecimen+photo, 1980s-1990s, associated with Blood Flower, G.McCormack with ID as Danaus plexippus; Mitiaro: fieldspecimens, 1980s-1990s, associated with Blood Flower, G.McCormack with ID as Danaus plexippus;

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD05b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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