File:Bali Island Danaus Chrysippus Chrysippus femelle (36801572093).jpg

All butterflies in this subfamily are thought to be toxic or distasteful to avian predators. Their bodies contain toxins which are derived from the larval foodplants, and are often supplemented by further toxins derived from adult food sources.

The bright colours of the butterflies advertise their poisonous qualities to birds in the same way that the bands of yellow and black of wasps advertise the fact that they can sting. Any bird that suffers the unpleasant experience of tasting a Danaus is unlikely to attack any similarly coloured butterfly. This has led many other species to evolve adults which mimic chrysippus, and thus avoid predation. These mimics include other toxic species such as Acraea encedana, and also a smaller number of palatable insects such as Hypolimnas misippus.

Danaus chrysippus is found across the entire African continent, throughout most of Asia south of the Himalayas, on most of the islands of the south Pacific, and across much of Australia.