Talk:Viceroy (butterfly)

Behavioral Ecology Student - Wikiproject review

Hi, below are some areas and points in the article that I believe need expansion. These are all open the debate, but I feel that they would strengthen the article.

• Add a mating section to describe any notable practices special to the Viceroy, as understanding reproduction is key to understanding an organism.
• Add a separate distribution and habitat section and move relevant information from lead to this section. Also add details on specific habitats viceroy occupy.
• Add subspecies information (name and location found)

Slzeng (talk) 22:57, 9 September 2017 (UTC)

Untitled

Need a photo of the other mimetic morphs Richard001 (talk) 07:53, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Batesian Mimic

Who says that it isn't a Batesian mimic, the source is not cited. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.10.126.240 (talk) 22:30, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Yes I believe you are correct that a Viceroy uses Batesian mimicry. My understanding is that, unlike the Monarch butterfly, a Viceroy is not toxic to predators. Is there an expert out there that can chime in on this? Codymr (talk) 01:03, 6 August 2009 (UTC)

if you look at batesian mimicry, it is cited as source number 28. 78.147.11.248 (talk) 16:57, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

Citation was added. Ref. link added.

Added section on mimicry as behavioral defense against predators Thatgirlnamedsofa (talk) 04:18, 18 September 2013 (UTC)thatgirlnamedsofa

Range

I have amplified the range information, which in its prior version could be read to imply that the butterfly was only present in parts of the western US and Canada and in Mexico. 850 C (talk) 19:27, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

General Comments

The language maintained throughout is objective, and the author provides concise summaries. I particularly found the section on Batesian mimicry to be fascinating because the palatable Viceroy’s resemblance to the unpalatable Monarch was its survival strategy against common predators. I also noted additional Viceroy behaviors that I thought could be included to help the article cover more material, but these are completely open to debate. 1) The article provides limited content on migration habits of this species. This material could help make further comparisons between Monarchs (which do migrate) and Viceroys as well as to comment upon the Vicroys’ behavioral adaptation to weather changes. 2) As is suggested earlier in the Talk Page, there is no mention of courtship or reproduction tactics used by the moth. Supplementing the article with this content can provide insight into the sexual selection and reproductive advantages used by this species. 3) The article displays a photograph for the life stages of this butterfly, but does not provide enough text to fully elaborate on the Viceroy’s life cycle. By including this information, the article could explain how the butterfly’s behavior evolves over its lifetime as well as how it competes for resources differently upon developing over time.

J.Prakash2344 (talk) 12:51, 14 September 2017 (UTC)

Pre-Mimic Version

Have scientists provided a specimen of the Monarch butterfly before it started the mimic process? If they could show one, it would go a long way into believing their premise that they actually changed their looks by mimicry. If they can't provide one, what other kind of proof do they have? Because without proof, it seems like it's just a theory. HaarFager (talk) 09:06, 28 February 2024 (UTC)

Oh, and how come all the other butterflies didn't use the mimicry theory to emulate the look of monarchs? Did they like being eaten by predators, so they just didn't bother to change?HaarFager (talk) 09:11, 28 February 2024 (UTC)