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Soldier
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia;
Phylum:	Arthropoda;
Class:	Insecta;
Order:	Lepidoptera;
Family:	Nymphalidae;
Subfamily:	Danainae;
Genus:	Danaus;
Species:	D. eresimus;
Binomial name
	Danaus eresimus; (Cramer, 1777)

The Soldier or Tropical Queen, (Danaus eresimus), is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Their flight is slow and they are reasonably easy to approach, but will fly for some distance if approached too closely.^[1]

[edit] Description

The upper side of the wings is dark reddish-brown with the fore wing sometimes having white submarginal spots.^[2] The veins are lightly marked with black. Males have a black scent patch on each of the hind wings. The underside of the wings is also dark brown with a postmedian band made up of squarish spots.^[1] The Soldier has a wingspan of 2½ to 3½ inches.^[3]

[edit] Similar species

Similar species in the Soldier's range include the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and the Queen (Danaus gilippus).

The Monarch is more orange, has heavier black-lined veins, and the underside of the wings is a pale yellowish color.^[1]^[4]

The Queen has nearly no black marked veins, and has white fore wing submarginal spots on both surfaces of the wings.^[4]

[edit] Habitat

The Soldier may be found in a variety of open, subtropical habitats such as citrus groves, weedy water edges where host plants occur, dry fields, etc.^[1]

[edit] Flight

This butterfly my be encountered from February to December in southern Florida (it is most common in October to December), and from August to January in southern Texas.^[1]^[5]

[edit] Life cycle

Males patrol for females.^[1] The eggs are bright orange. The black larva is banded with white and yellow stripes. It has a subdorsal row of yellowish-tan spots. There are six black, fleshy filaments, the first pair near the head, the second on the thorax, and the third at the end of the abdomen.^[5] The chrysalis is very similar to that of the Monarch, often indistinguishable. It has 3 or more broods per year.^[4]

[edit] Host plants

Here is a list of host plants used by the Soldier:

Strangler Vine, Morrenia odorata
White Vine, Sarcostema clausa
West Indian Pinkroot, Spigelia anthelmia^[1]^[5]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Rick Cech and Guy Tudor (2005). Butterflies of the East Coast. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN 0-691-09055-6
^ Butterflies and Moths Additional Soldier Images
^ Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin (2001). Butterflies of Arizona. West Coast Lady Press. ISBN 0-9663072-1-6
^ ^a ^b ^c Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. ISBN 0-618-15312-8
^ ^a ^b ^c James A. Scott (1986). The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4

[rcgt-0] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Rick Cech and Guy Tudor (2005). Butterflies of the East Coast. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. ISBN 0-691-09055-6

[bam-1] Butterflies and Moths Additional Soldier Images

[bspbhb-2] Bob Stewart, Priscilla Brodkin and Hank Brodkin (2001). Butterflies of Arizona. West Coast Lady Press. ISBN 0-9663072-1-6

[jpbkk-3] Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman (2003). Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY. ISBN 0-618-15312-8

[jas-4] James A. Scott (1986). The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4

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