Danaus

In Greek mythology Danaus (/ˈdæn..əs/; Ancient Greek: Δαναός Danaos), was the twin brother of Aegyptus, a mythical king of Egypt. The myth of Danaus is a foundation legend (or re-foundation legend) of Argos, one of the foremost Mycenaean cities of the Peloponnesus. In Homer's Iliad, "Danaans" ("tribe of Danaë") and "Argives" commonly designate the Greek forces opposed to the Trojans.

Mythology

Danaus had fifty daughters, the Danaides, twelve of whom were born to Polyxo and the rest to Pieria and other women, and his twin brother, Aegyptus, had fifty sons. Aegyptus commanded that his sons marry the Danaides. Danaus elected to flee instead, and to that purpose, he built a ship, the first ship that ever was.

In it, he fled to Argos, to which he was connected by his descent from Io, a priestess of Hera at Argos, who was wooed by Zeus and turned into a heifer and pursued by Hera until she found asylum in Egypt. Argos at the time was ruled by King Pelasgus, the eponym of all autochthonous inhabitants who had lived in Greece since the beginning, also called Gelanor ("he who laughs"). The Danaides asked Pelasgus for protection when they arrived, the event portrayed in The Suppliants by Aeschylus. Protection was granted after a vote by the Argives.

Danaus (genus)

Danaus, commonly called tigers, milkweeds, monarchs, wanderers, and queens, is a genus of butterflies in the tiger butterfly tribe. They are found worldwide, including North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Indonesia and Australia. For other Tigers see the genus, Parantica.

Taxonomy

Following the review of Smith et al. (2005), 12 species are provisionally accepted based on morphological, mtDNA 12S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, and nuclear DNA 18S rRNA and EF1 subunit α sequence data:

  • Danaus affinis (Fabricius, 1775) – Malay Tiger
  • Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758) – Plain Tiger, Common Tiger, African Monarch, Lesser Wanderer, or African Queen
  • Danaus cleophile (Godart, 1819) – Jamaican Monarch
  • Danaus dorippus (Klug, 1845) – Dorippus Tiger (formerly included in D. chrysippus)
  • Danaus eresimus (Cramer, [1777]) – Soldier or Tropical Queen, includes D. plexaure
  • Danaus erippus (Cramer, [1775]) – Southern Monarch
  • Danaus genutia (Cramer, [1779]) – Common Tiger, Indian Monarch, or Orange Tiger
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