Queen Butterfly

This Queen spotting was from my birthday trip. First time out west to the desert environment. I live in Miami, FL. Wikipedia claims most common here from October to December.

I see them only once or twice a year here in Texas as the batches travel through. I used to see them more often in CA. Location is key too. Glad I could help sort out the difference. I will watch for you Soldier posting. :)

OK, I also see the point about the hind wing cells' sizes and shapes now. I am convinced : ) Thanks again for pointing all that out gatorfellows. Now I am much more aware of the ID details to pay close attention to for these two species. Also, went back and checked my Queen photos; they were OK all queens. So, now will keep an eye out for a genuine Soldier.

In direct answer to your rule question. These 3 are not absolute If you read the ID descriptors in the references they are vague with statements like "scattered white dots in the apex". Tomake things worse, here is a reference with specimens of the aberrations in Queens; http://www.butterfliesofamerica.com/dana...

Yes in that resource there is that photo. Here is another identifier that I used (cheated and did not try to explain both) to determine that this was a queen. In your first photo the underside wing shows a pattern of cell vein consistent with a Queen not a soldier. soldier veins and cells are straighter and more even in size. Again here is a non scientific reference, but has a good visual of what I am saying;
http://www.butterflyfunfacts.com/soldier...
Compare your Photo 1 to the photo 9 of 22 in the Reference in the suggestion. If still not convinced let me know and we will discuss more. :)

I see what you mean gatorfellows, thanks for pointing that out, I hadn't noticed that ID clue before. That makes me much more at ease with the Queen ID and I'll change it to that. However (unless missIDed) I did find a picture of a Soldier female with three large white spots (typical of queen) and also showing the translucent (light orange) squares on the hind wing. There may be the rare exception to the rule?
See the first pic on here:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/speci...

Hello again; Here is a female soldier from Bugguide; they are a little trickier with transparent spots http://bugguide.net/node/view/405004/bgi...
You will notice that the two lower transparent spots look like the 3 white lower spots of a Queen, but there are only 2 :)

You requested a "chime in" so here goes... Your second photo of the male (dark scent patches) has 3 white spots on the lower forwing; therefor it is a Queen, male Danaus gilippus. Male Soldier do not have these additional three white spots. Easier to look for than the translucent spots. Not a scientific reference, but has a photo that shows what I just wrote. http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2005/11... :)

Yes it does from the fist picture's angle. But we can safely rule monarch out based on second picture. (If a monarch, the front wings on the one flying would be separated from the hind wing by a thick black border, and the dark veins would be more visible like in the closed wings of pic 1.) But yes, they are similar as both soldiers and queens are monarch mimics.

This looks a lot like a monarch, too. Great picture!

You may be right Keith; I keep looking at this one and comparing with different ID guides. I don't see the soldier's translucent squares on the hind wings. I thought soldier because on the second pic (where you see the male's upper wings) there seems to be much more dark venation than on the queens I've photographed here in S. FL (the queens here are much darker orange with no black veins at all on upper side of wing, but that may be a local morph) So, it may well be a queen, now I'm not sure. How sure are you? Hopefully a few more people can also chime in.

I think this is more likely a Queen - D. gillipus.