Limenitis archippus

The Viceroy is well-known for its mimetic resemblance to the Monarch (Danaus plexippus). The black median line across the hindwing is the quickest way to distinguish it from the Monarch. These two species can even be separated on the wing by their distinctive flight: Monarchs have a leisurely, floating flight and hold their wings at an angle above the body when gliding, while Viceroys hold their wings in a flat plane when gliding, a behaviour characteristic of the genus Limenitis.

Limenitis archippus is resident to all of the eastern United States and southern Canada, west to British Columbia and WA, is patchily distributed in the southwestern US, and ranges to southern Mexico (Scott 1986). Habitats are subtropical to Canadian zone watercourses and deciduous woodlands. Host plants are trees species from families Salicaceae, Betulaceae and Rosaceae. Eggs are laid on the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as third instar larvae in a rolled leaf hibernaculum. There is a variable number of flights depending on latitude, in the far north of the range there is one flight with approximate times June 10-July31, in the south there are four or more flights from spring to fall (Scott 1986).

Great Slave Lake, NWT east to Nova Scotia, south to Florida and Mexico (Layberry et al. 1998, Scott 1986). Extirpated from southern BC (Guppy & Shepard 2001).

The viceroy ranges from central Canada through the eastern United States, into the Cascade Mountains and northern Mexico.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) Southerb Canada; US except for Pacific coast and higher Rocky Mountains.

In areas of the viceroy's range where monarchs are common, the viceroy tends to mimic the pattern of the monarch (Danaaus plexippus) with black striping and orange areas similar to a monarch. The viceroy can be distinguished from the monarch, however, by one row of white spots within the black fore and hind wing bands. In areas inhabited by the Queen (Danaus glippus), the white spotting of the viceroy becomes less noticeable, and the orange coloration is replaced by a deep mahogany brown.

Usually found in open, moist areas where willows grow.

Viceroys prefer open or slightly shrubby areas that are wet or near water. These include wet meadows, marshes, ponds and lakes, railroad tracks, and roadsides.

Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; mountains

Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams

Comments: Eastward almost any habitat with willows or small aspens which are the main larval foodplants. Habitats include prairies and dry barrens with small willows as well as wetlands. Westward more riparian and only around seeps or watercourses in arid regions.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

No Alberta data available, but larvae are known to feed on willows and poplars (Salix and Populus) elsewhere (Layberry et al. 1998).

Larvae feed on various types of willows and poplars. Viceroys produce three generations per year, and the food habits of each generation differs. The first brood consume carrion, decaying fungi, and animal dung. Later generations are more often observed at flowers of plants, such as joe-pye weed, aster, Canada thistle, shepherd's needle, and goldenrod. This difference is likely due to the colder, wetter conditions experienced by the first generation.

Comments: Larvae of all subspecies are virtually resitricted to willows (Salix) an dpoplars (including aspens) (Populus).

Limenitis archippus Cramer: Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera
(observations are from Robertson, Graenicher, Betz et al., Fothergill & Vaughn; this butterfly is the Viceroy)

Apiaceae: Cicuta maculata sn (Rb), Eryngium yuccifolium sn (Rb), Oxypolis rigidior sn (Rb); Asclepiadaceae: Asclepias incarnata [plup sn] (Btz), Asclepias syriaca [plab sn] (Rb); Asteraceae: Ageratina altissima sn (Gr), Aster novae-angliae sn (Gr), Bidens aristosa sn (Rb), Bidens cernua sn (Rb), Cirsium altissimum sn (Rb, Gr), Cirsium arvense sn (Gr), Conoclinium coelestinum sn (Rb), Echinacea pallida sn (Rb), Erigeron philadelphicus sn (FV), Eupatoriadelphus purpureus sn (Gr), Eupatorium perfoliatum sn (Gr), Euthamia graminifolia sn (Gr), Heracleum maximum sn (Rb), Liatris pycnostachya sn (Rb), Oligoneuron rigidum sn (Rb), Ratibida pinnata sn (Gr), Rudbeckia hirta sn (Rb), Rudbeckia subtomentosa sn (Rb), Rudbeckia triloba sn (Rb), Silphium perfoliatum sn (Rb); Caprifoliaceae: Symphoricarpos occidentalis sn (Gr); Cornaceae: Cornus obliqua sn (Rb); Lamiaceae: Monarda fistulosa sn (Rb), Pycnanthemum tenuifolium sn (Rb); Rubiaceae: Cephalanthus occidentalis sn (Rb)

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 81 to >300

10,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

Adults eat flower nectar, aphid honeydew, moisture from rotting wood, fungi, dung, mud, sap and other sources. Males both perch and patrol for females (Scott, 1986).

One brood per year, peak emergence in early to late July.

Comments: In most of the range two to four broods, the first in late spring (usualy May or June) the others following at about two month intervals but with stragglers often flying essentially all summer. Third instar larvae overwinter in shelters on the foodplant.

The eggs are initially pale yellow, turning greyish as they mature. Fully-grown larvae are olive-brown with a pink-white saddle, and resemble a bird dropping. The thorax bears two black, horn-like spines (Scott 1986). Third-instar larvae hibernate in a hibernaculum, a tube-like shelter made of a partially rolled-up leaf and silk. It was initially believed that the Monarch-Viceroy resemblance was a case of Batesian mimicry, ie. the palatable Viceroy mimicking distasteful Monarchs. Recent research suggests that this is not the case, since Viceroys are also distasteful, so the two species are actually Mullerian mimics (Ritland and Brower 1991).  

Mating occurs in the afternoon, and the female is the egg carrier. She deposits one egg onto the tip of a leaf and chooses only leaves that have not been eaten by other insects. She deposits about three eggs per sapling.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 4 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 4
Specimens with Barcodes: 13
Species With Barcodes: 1

Not of concern. Extirpated in BC (Guppy & Shepard 2001).

The viceroy has a wide range and is not threatened.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: Widespread and common; adapts to some disturbance.

Degree of Threat: D : Unthreatened throughout its range, communities may be threatened in minor portions of the range or degree of variation falls within natural variation

Global Protection: Many to very many (13 to >40) occurrences appropriately protected and managed