White Monarchs have been reported elsewhere, from Washington, D.C., in 1896 Missouri, 1908 Pennsylvania, 1921 the coast of California, ca. Nivosus appears to have been in Hawaii since, at least, the end of the last century, and the allele responsible may have been present in the founder population of the mid 1800s (Vane-Wright 1993). The exception is Hawaii where its frequency has recently reached 10% (Vane-Wright 1997). Generally, nivosus is extremely rare with only a few being reported each year.

White Monarchs ( nivosus) have been found throughout the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the United States. We hope to have answers to some of these questions in the coming year. Why is this form so rare? Is nivosus selectively eaten by predators? Does it have difficulty finding mates? Is the genetic basis for this form the same in all populations? These, and many other questions, need to be answered. The white Monarchs appear to be normal in all other respects giving rise to many questions. Several authors (Stimson and Meyers, 1984 Vane-Wright 1993) have assumed that the white form results from the inability of the butterfly to synthesize the normal orange pigment, but this hypothesis has never been tested. A white Monarch, named nivosus by Lepidopterists, is grayish white in all areas of the wings that are normally orange (Vane-Wright 1993). Though one's vision of the Monarch butterfly conjures up an image of a brilliant orange and black winged-insect, there exists a rare variation of the Monarch that 'pales' in comparison.

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Black and white butterfly