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Limenitis archippus Cramer, 1775 ssp. floridensis Strecker, 1878
Florida Viceroy
Synonym(s): Basilarchia archippus floridensis Scudder, 1872
Florida native
Viceroys are found throughout Florida, mainly in wetlands with willows. The Florida subspecies is seldom found outside the state.
Florida viceroys have brownish-orange wings with black markings spanning 8.6cm (3-3/8 in.). In central and south Florida the wings tend to be more of a mahogany-brown resembling queen butterflies while in the north parts of the state they are usually a brighter orange similar to monarchs. Viceroys can be most easily differentiated from both of those other species by having a black line across the hindwing.
Viceroys are Müllerian mimics with the Danaus species, all of them being both visually similar and distasteful to prey.
Host plants are willows (Genus Salix), although the adults will feed on other plants, including milkweeds.
Limenitis archippus is a member of the Nymphalidae - Brush-footed butterflies family.
Other species of the Limenitis genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Limenitis arthemis var. astyanax - RED-SPOTTED PURPLE
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net page for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 30, 2024
