Euploea is a genus of milkweed butterflies

Milkweed butterfly

Milkweed butterflies are a subfamily, Danainae, in the family Nymphalidae, or brush-footed butterflies. They lay their eggs on various milkweeds on which their larvae feed...

. The species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 are generally dark in coloration, often quite blackish, for which reason they are commonly called crows. As usual for their subfamily, they are poisonous due to feeding on milkweeds and other toxic plants as caterpillars. The latter are aposematically colored to warn off predators from eating them, and the adult butterflies are often mimic

Mimic

In evolutionary biology, mimicry is the similarity of one species to another which protects one or both. This similarity can be in appearance, behaviour, sound, scent and even location, with the mimics found in similar places to their models....

ked by unrelated species which are not or less poisonous.

Notable species

• Biak Dark Crow
  Biak Dark Crow
  The Biak Dark Crow is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is endemic to Indonesia.-References:* Lepidoptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
  
  , Euploea albicosta
• No-brand Crow, Euploea alcathoe
  • Gove Crow, Euploea alcathoe enastri
• Long-branded Blue Crow, Euploea algea
• Murphy's Crow
  Murphy's Crow
  The Murphy's Crow is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is endemic to Indonesia.-References:* Lepidoptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
  
  , Euploea caespes
• Malayan Crow, Euploea camaralzeman
• Common Crow, Euploea core
• Spotted Black Crow, Euploea crameri
• Small Brown Crow
  Small Brown Crow
  The Small Brown Crow is a butterfly found in Australia that belongs to the Crows and Tigers, that is, the Danaid group of the Brush-footed butterflies family.-External links:* at funit.fi...
  
  , Euploea darchia
• Striped Black Crow, Euploea doubledayi
• Blue-banded King Crow, Euploea eunice
• Blue King Crow, Euploea klugii
• Weymer's Crow
  Weymer's Crow
  Weymer's Crow, Euploea latifasciata, is a species of nymphalid butterfly, endemic to Indonesia.-References:* Lepidoptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
  
  , Euploea latifasciata
• Blue Spotted Crow, Euploea midamus
• Seychelles Crow
  Seychelles Crow
  The Seychelles Crow is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is endemic to the Seychelles.-Source:* Lepidoptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
  
  , Euploea mitra
• Striped Blue Crow, Euploea mulciber
• Large Crow, Euploea phaenareta

• • Taiwan or Juvia Large Crow, Euploea phaenareta juvia - extinct (1960s)
• Magpie Crow, Euploea radamanthus
• Swainson's Crow
  Swainson's Crow
  The Swainson's Crow is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is found in Indonesia and the Philippines.-Source:* Lepidoptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
  
  , Euploea swainson
• Double-branded Crow, Euploea sylvester
• Biak Threespot Crow
  Biak Threespot Crow
  The Biak Threespot Crow is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is endemic to Indonesia.-References:* Lepidoptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 31 July 2007....
  
  , Euploea tripunctata
• Eastern Brown Crow
  Eastern Brown Crow
  The Small Brown Crow or Dwarf Crow is a butterfly found on the Solomon Islands, Malaysia, Formosa and Australia, that belongs to the Crows and Tigers, that is, the Danaid group of the Brush-footed butterflies family....
  
  , Euploea tulliolus

Nomenclature

This genus has a large number of junior synonyms, due in part to Moore committing what probably ranks as one of the most drastic cases of oversplitting

Lumpers and splitters

Lumping and splitting refers to a well-known problem in any discipline which has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper/splitter problem occurs when there is the need to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature,...

 in the history of zoology:

Crastia Hübner

Jacob Hübner

Jacob Hübner was a German entomologist. He was the author of Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge , a founding work of entomology.-Scientific career:...

, 1816

Trepsichrois Hübner, 1816

Salpinx Hübner, 1819

Eudaemon Billberg

Gustaf Johan Billberg

Gustaf Johan Billberg was a Swedish botanist, zoologist and anatomist, although professionally and by training he was a lawyer and had science and biology as a hobby....

, 1820

Terpsichrois Hübner, 1821 (lapsus)

Euplaea Boisduval

Jean Baptiste Boisduval

Jean Baptiste Alphonse Dechauffour de Boisduval was a French lepidopterist and physician. He developed the Boisduval scale and identified many new species of butterflies. One of the most celebrated lepidopterists of France, he was the co-founder of the Société Entomologique de France...

, 1832 (lapsus)

Calliploea Butler

Arthur Gardiner Butler

Arthur Gardiner Butler was an English entomologist, arachnologist and ornithologist...

, 1875

Macroploea Butler, 1878

Stictoploea Butler, 1878

Euplea W.F. Kirby

William Forsell Kirby

William Forsell Kirby was an English entomologist and folklorist.He was born in Leicester. He was the eldest son of Samuel Kirby, who was a banker. He was educated privately, and became interested in butterflies and moths at an early age. The family moved to Brighton, where he became acquainted...

, 1879 (lapsus)

Adigama Moore

Frederic Moore

Frederic Moore FZS was a British entomologist. It has been said that Moore was born at 33 Bruton Street but may be incorrect given that this was the address of the menagerie and office of the Zoological Society of London from 1826 to 1836.Moore was appointed an assistant in the East India Company...

, 1880

Andasena Moore, 1883

Betanga Moore, 1883

Bibisana Moore, 1883

Chanapa Moore, 1883

Chirosa Moore, 1883

Danisepa Moore, 1883

Deragena Moore, 1883

Gamatoba Moore, 1883

Glinama Moore, 1883

Hirdapa Moore, 1883

Isamia Moore, 1883

Karadira Moore, 1883

Lontara Moore, 1883

Mahintha Moore, 1883

Menama Moore, 1883

Mestapra Moore, 1883

Nacamsa Moore, 1883

Narmada Moore, 1880

Nipara Moore, 1883

Oranasma Moore, 1883

Pademma Moore, 1883

Patosa Moore, 1883

Penoa Moore, 1883

Pramasa Moore, 1883

Pramesta Moore, 1883

Rasuma Moore, 1883

Sabanosa Moore, 1883

Saphara Moore, 1883

Sarobia Moore, 1883

Satanga Moore, 1883

Selinda Moore, 1883

Tabada Moore, 1883

Tagata Moore, 1883

Tiruna Moore, 1883

Tronga Moore, 1883

Vadebra Moore, 1883

Vonona Moore, 1883

Anadara Moore, 1883 (non Gray

John Edward Gray

John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....

, 1847: preoccupied

Anadara

Anadara is a genus of saltwater bivalves, ark clams, in the family Arcidae.-Species:Species within the genus Anadara include:* Anadara auriculata Lamarck * Anadara baughmani Hertlein, 1951 - baughman ark, skewed ark...

)

Doricha Moore, 1883 (non Reichenbach

Ludwig Reichenbach

Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach was a German botanist and ornithologist.He was the son of Johann Friedrich Jakob Reichenbach, the author in 1818 of the first Greek-German dictionary. He was the father of Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach, equally a botanist and an eminent orchid...

, 1853: preoccupied

Doricha

Doricha is a genus of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It contains the following species:* Mexican Sheartail Doricha eliza , Mexico....

)

Karadina Moore, 1891 (lapsus)

Chirosia Sharp, 1904 (lapsus)

Daniseppa Fruhstorfer

Hans Fruhstorfer

Hans Fruhstorfer was a German explorer, insect trader and entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. He collected and described many new species of exotic butterflies, especially in Seitz's Macrolepidoptera of the World...

, 1910 (lapsus)

Pamasa Fruhstorfer, 1910 (lapsus)

Rausuma Fruhstorfer, 1910 (lapsus)

Ironga Martin, 1914 (lapsus)

Makroploea Martin, 1915 (lapsus)

Eupolea Hulstaert, 1931 (lapsus)

Ramasa Hulstaert, 1931 (lapsus)

External links

• Danaini classification
• Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms: Preliminary species list. Version of May 6, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2007.