Larval polymorphism in Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Danainae) and the reappearance of its mimic Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalinae) in Cyprus

Abstract

We describe several unusual aspects of the Cyprus population of Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758). We discuss larval colour polymorphism in this species that appears frequent in the Mediterranean basin. In contrast, the green larval morph appears rare in Africa despite much larger population sizes. This green larval morph was discovered in Cyprus in 2023, following an unusually large northerly spring migration across the island. The colour and pattern of this morph is not affected by rearing conditions and is thus likely a stable genetic variant, rather than a polyphenism, which varies with rearing temperature. We also describe a previously unreported aspect of behaviour in which adult butterflies probe with their proboscis at larvae of conspecifics. Finally, we report the reappearance of the mimic Hypolimnas misippus (Linnaeus, 1764) that was last reported from the island in 1936.