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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies and Skippers (Papilionoidea) » Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae) » Milkweed Butterflies & Glasswings (Danainae) » Milkweed Butterflies (Danaini) » Danaus » Monarch - Hodges#4614 (Danaus plexippus)
Photo#340241
Flightless Monarch - Danaus plexippus - male
Copyright © 2009 roar

Flightless Monarch - Danaus plexippus - Male
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA
September 11, 2009
This butterfly could not fly. It would lift off the ground, then plummet all of a sudden.It never successfully flew away.

This is an action shot of the monarch trying t fly.

Images of this individual: tag all
Flightless Monarch - Danaus plexippus - male Flightless Monarch - Danaus plexippus - male Flightless Monarch - Danaus plexippus - male Flightless Monarch - Danaus plexippus - male
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Contributed by roar on 4 October, 2009 - 8:47am
Last updated 11 October, 2009 - 3:46pm

here it is!
Monarchs can be infected with a protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. This parasite is transmitted from mothers to offspring, or from males to females during mating. If these monarchs are infected, they will spread spores on all of your cages and other materials, and larvae that you raise could easily be contaminated. If they're released into the wild, they could infect other monarchs. PLEASE read about this disease: Monarch Lab or Monarch Watch
… Edna Woodward, 4 October, 2009 - 10:16am login or register to post comments

 
I don't know
I have had many other monarchs that hatched after this one that were perfectly healthy. I do not know if this disease is what hit this monarch.
… roar, 4 October, 2009 - 10:56am login or register to post comments

 
if you still have the monarch you can send a sample of scales fr
to an addy at monarch watch and they will tell you. i know mine that hatched out were sometimes able to fly a little but some couldnt even get out of the coccon and some seemed fine..but i did destroy all the remaining crysalises to try and do a small part of controling this. its not a good thing.
… Edna Woodward, 7 October, 2009 - 7:29pm login or register to post comments

 
I do have the monarch.
When it died, I put it in my collection.
… roar, 9 October, 2009 - 4:57pm login or register to post comments

did you loose any coccons who turned black?
i had this happen and learned by googling that there is a disease which messes up monachs..some sort of spores or sonething..turns the coccons black, some could not even hold on to inflate their wings. it was sickening. about half the coccons turned black, ill go look it up since its raining a cold rain/slush now and get you a website.
… Edna Woodward, 4 October, 2009 - 10:13am login or register to post comments

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