Evidence from mitochondrial DNA supports earlier records of African queen butterflies (Danaus chrysippus) migrating in East Africa

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that the African queen butterfly, Danaus chrysippus (L.), is migratory. More recently, records of rapid and seasonal changes in the frequencies of different colour pattern morphs in Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya have provided further evidence. This paper demonstrates similarly rapid changes in the frequencies of different mitochondrial haplotypes in Nairobi, Kenya over a two-week period. These changes are correlated with changes in the frequencies of homozygous and hybrid colour forms, and are consistent with colour pattern/haplotype associations that have been observed on a continental scale. We conclude that they can only be explained by migration and that mtDNA analysis can be usefully and generally applied in studies of migratory movement.

Journal of East African Natural History Vol. 92 (1&2) 2003: pp. 119-125