a small natural family of usually tropical butterflies, including the monarch butterflies.

The Danaidae family is made up of approximately 300 species. As well known migrants they can be found worldwide, starting from their home in America they have spread to Hawaii, Indonesia, Australia, the Canary Islands and lately to some Mediterranean countries. Most have a slow and lazy flight and are among the most conspicuous butterflies in warm, low-lying areas. All species of this family are toxic and their bright colours convey that to their predators. Many species are mimicked by a variety of non-poisonous butterflies. The eggs have a flattened dome shape and prominent ribbing. The larvae are smooth and generally have brilliant body striping with two to four pairs of tubercles, which give them a very aggressive appearance. The pupae are suspended head down from a silk pad and have a squat, rounded shape. There are usually flecks of brilliant gold or silver spots on the chrysalis, again to ward off predators. The larvae eat Asclepiadaceae and Apocynaceae, which give them their toxic body fluids.

The Danaidae are a group of butterflies that are also called milkweed butterflies (becasue the milkweed is their larval host plant). The Danaidae used to be considered a family of butterflies, but is now thought of as a subfamily of the family Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies) [reference: Layberry, Ross A. et al., Butterflies of Canada, University of Toronto Press, 1998]. The monarch is a type of Danaidae butterfly.