| Numata longwing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Heliconius numata, underside | |
 | |
| H. numata on Passiflora flower. Upperside | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Heliconius |
| Species: | H. numata |
| Binomial name | |
| Heliconius numata | |
| Subspecies | |
Many, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
List
| |
Heliconius numata, the Numata longwing, is a brush-footed butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Heliconiinae.
This species is native to most of South America, from Venezuela to southern Brazil (Guyana, French Guiana, Surinam, Guatemala, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil and Peru). H. numata is a neotropical species, less common in virgin forest than in areas of secondary growth. It occurs at an elevation of 0–1,800 metres (0–5,906 ft) above sea level in tall forests. [1] [2]
Subspecies include: [2]
Heliconius numata has a wingspan of 78 millimetres (3.1 in). These very large butterflies have long and rounded wings of brown and orange color, with very variable markings due to its capacity of mimicry with several species. The caterpillar is white with black spots and black thorns.
H. numata is known for its mimicry of Melinaea butterflies. [3] Both H. numata and the species of Melinaea it resembles are unpalatable to predators, making this a case of Müllerian mimicry, a mutualistic reinforcement of the same negative signal. [4]
Both males and females are attracted to red or orange flowers, or indeed to pieces of cloth colored red or orange. Eggs typically are found on low-growing vines of Passiflora . Caterpillars mainly feed on plants from the subgenera Granadilla , Astrophea and Distephana (Passifloraceae) and from the genera Tetrastyli and Dilkea . [1] [5]
Heliconius hecale, the tiger longwing, Hecale longwing, golden longwing or golden heliconian, is a heliconiid butterfly that occurs from Mexico to the Peruvian Amazon. Hecale, was an old woman who gave shelter to Theseus on his way to capture the Marathonian Bull.
Heliconius comprises a colorful and widespread genus of brush-footed butterflies commonly known as the longwings or heliconians. This genus is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World, from South America as far north as the southern United States. The larvae of these butterflies eat passion flower vines (Passifloraceae). Adults exhibit bright wing color patterns which signal their distastefulness to potential predators.
Heliconius melpomene, the postman butterfly, common postman or simply postman, is a brightly colored, geographically variable butterfly species found throughout Central and South America. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Its coloration coevolved with another member of the genus, H. erato as a warning to predators of its inedibility; this is an example of Müllerian mimicry. H. melpomene was one of the first butterfly species observed to forage for pollen, a behavior that is common in other insect groups but rare in butterflies. Because of the recent rapid evolutionary radiation of the genus Heliconius and overlapping of its habitat with other related species, H. melpomene has been the subject of extensive study on speciation and hybridization. These hybrids tend to have low fitness as they look different from the original species and no longer exhibit Müllerian mimicry.
Heliconius ismenius, the Ismenius tiger or tiger heliconian, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in Central America and northern South America. They are abundant as far south as Ecuador and Venezuela and as far north as southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. H. ismenius are more commonly called the tiger-striped long wing butterfly. H. ismenius's nickname is derived from its long wing structure as well as the beautiful burnt orange and black stripes. Pierre André Latreille, a French zoologist, described Heliconius ismenius in 1817. H. ismenius resembles a number of other butterflies, an example of Müllerian mimicry.
Morpho deidamia, the Deidamia morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly. It is found in Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Suriname, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil. It is a species group, which may be, or may not be several species. Many subspecies have been described.
Heliconius doris, the Doris longwing or Doris is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is known for being a polymorphic species which participates in various Müllerian mimicry rings throughout Central America and the Amazon rainforest. It is a species of special interest in biological science for the genetic basis and role of polymorphism (biology) in ecology and evolution.
Telchin licus, the banana stem borer, is a moth of the Castniidae family. It is native to South America, where it is found from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, throughout the Amazon basin in Brazil and Peru. It has also been recorded as an introduced species in Hawaii.
Papilio menatius is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae.
Melinaea menophilus, the Hewitson's tiger or Hewitson's tiger-wing, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found throughout the Amazonian region.
Callithomia lenea is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Central and South America.
Tithorea harmonia, the Harmonia tiger-wing or Harmonia tiger, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae.
Eueides isabella, the Isabella's longwing or Isabella's heliconian, is a species of nymphalid butterfly, belonging to the Heliconiinae subfamily.
Hesperocharis nera, the Nera white, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is found in Trinidad, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Suriname, the Guianas, Brazil and Bolivia.
Heliconius elevatus is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae native to the Amazon Basin.
Heliconius ethilla, the ethilia longwing, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Jean-Baptiste Godart in 1819. It is found from Panama to southern Brazil. The habitat consists of marginal forests.
Heliconius aoede, the Aoede longwing, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Jacob Hübner in 1813. It is found in the Amazon basin. The habitat consists of deep forests.
Heliconius wallacei, the Wallace's longwing, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Tryon Reakirt in 1866. It is found from Venezuela and Trinidad to southern Brazil and Peru. The habitat consists of lowland rainforests.
Caligo teucer, the Teucer owl butterfly is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found from Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia and Paraguay. The habitat consists of rainforests and cloudforests at altitudes ranging from 400 to 1,400 meters.
Euselasia is a genus of butterflies in the family Riodinidae. They are present only in the Neotropical realm. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
Odontadenia is a genus of plant in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1841. It is native to southern Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
