Abstract

DE LA PAVA S, Nataly  and  SEPULVEDA C, Paula Andrea. ASPECTS OF THE DANAUS PLEXIPPUS (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE) DEVELOPMENT ON CALOTROPIS PROCERA (APOCYNACEAE) UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas [online]. 2012, vol.16, n.1, pp.266-272. ISSN 0123-3068.

The monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus, 1758) is perhaps one of the most studied species in America, not only because of their migration process and its toxicity, but also because of its beauty and potential for bio-commerce. In Santa Marta (Magdalena, Colombia) it is common to find this species all year round, ovipositing on Calotropis procera (Aiton), a non-native plant also considered as weed. In this study the development of the immature stages of this species on the C. Procera was studied for the first time under lab conditions. The larvae passed through 5 stages in their development, and the cycle, from the oviposition until the adult stage, took place in 23 days. Ninety-nine per cent of the larvae completed the cycle under the test conditions, which show the potential the C. propera has as a host for D. plexippus for the establishment of captive breeding.

Keywords : silk cotton; Lepidoptera breeding; monarch butterflies.

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