Presentation Details
| Radio Tagged Monarchs in Winter in Arizona Display Diverse Movement and Reproductive Patterns Gail Morris1, Ronald Rutowski1, 2. 1Southwest Monarch Study, Chandler, Arizona, USA.2Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA |
Abstract
The movement ecology of the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in North America includes an autumnal migration through Arizona to large overwintering aggregations in Mexico and California. However, Monarchs, both reproductively and non-reproductively active, occur during the winter in the southern United States, including Arizona. To learn more about their winter longevity, movements and reproduction, we glued CTT BluMorpho radio tags on 31 wild Monarchs caught in central Arizona between mid-October and late December in 2025 when Monarch migratory movements stop. Notably, several of the tagged Monarchs were repeatedly detected within a kilometer or less of the tagging site for extended periods of up to 74 days. We also observed the behavior of these sedentary Monarchs and saw no evidence of mating or oviposition which suggests that these animals, while actively flying about and occasionally interacting briefly with one another, were not reproductively active. This is similar to the state of conspecifics in large overwintering aggregations. Our results support the view that Monarchs wintering in Arizona show a complex mix of reproductive and movement states.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
Content Locked. Log into a registered attendee account to access this presentation.