Passiflora-specialist
Guides
Heliconiini
longwings, passion-vine butterflies
Heliconiini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae, commonly known as longwings or passion-vine butterflies. The group comprises approximately 100 species and subspecies distributed primarily in the Neotropics. Members are characterized by elongated wings, bright aposematic coloration, and specialized relationships with Passiflora host plants. The tribe includes well-known genera such as Heliconius, Dryas, and Agraulis.
Heliconius charithonia
zebra longwing, zebra heliconian
Heliconius charithonia is a medium-sized butterfly with striking black and white longitudinal wing stripes. Adults are notable among butterflies for feeding on both pollen and nectar, enabling synthesis of cyanogenic glycosides that render them unpalatable to predators. The species exhibits communal roosting behavior and specialized pupal mating. Larvae feed exclusively on passionflower vines (Passiflora spp.), with documented performance differences across host species.
Heliconius erato
red postman, small postman, red passion flower butterfly, crimson-patched longwing
Heliconius erato is a neotropical butterfly renowned for its exceptional longevity among butterflies, living up to six months in the wild and over 186 days in captivity. This extended lifespan is enabled by its unique ability among butterflies to digest pollen, extracting amino acids through specialized proboscis behavior. The species exhibits Müllerian mimicry with co-occurring Heliconius species, particularly H. melpomene, sharing aposematic warning coloration to deter predators. Adults display remarkable philopatry, maintaining restricted home ranges sometimes separated by only 30 yards from neighboring territories. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758 and comprises numerous geographically variable subspecies divided into eastern and western Andean clades.