Butterflies of
Mexico & USA
Zebra
Longwing
Heliconius
charithonia
LINNAEUS, 1767
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
HELICONIINAE
Tribe -
HELICONIINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Heliconius
charithonia.
( image
courtesy © Peter Bruce-Jones )
Introduction
The Heliconiinae is
subdivided into the tribes Acraeini,
Argynnini,
and Heliconiini.
The latter tribe are colloquially known as Longwings,
and are confined exclusively to the neotropical region. The butterflies are easily recognised
by their distinctive patterns, elongated forewings and characteristic
delicate fluttering flight. Most species produce a variety of different colour
forms or morphs, which are often mimetic of unpalatable Danaines occuring in the
same vicinity.
The Heliconiini includes
the genus
Heliconius
( 39 species ), and the smaller genera Dryas, Laparus, Dryadula, Eueides, Neruda, Philaethria, Podotricha, Agraulis
and Dione.
Heliconius charithonia is
found in
Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, Nicaragua, Trinidad,
Cuba, Haiti, Antigua, Jamaica and the southern USA.
The name
Charithonia is derived from the Charites or Graces - goddesses of
fertility and nature in Greek mythology.
Habitats
This species is
found in sub-tropical rainforest, forest edge habitats,
hammocks, pastures, and along roadsides at elevations between
sea level and about 1800m.
Lifecycle
The eggs are laid
either singly or loose groups of up to a dozen on leaf buds or leaves
of Passiflora or Tetrastylis
( Passifloraceae ).
The caterpillar when fully
grown is white, marked with black spots. Each body segment bears 6 long black
barbed spines, and there is another pair of similar spines on the head.
The chrysalis looks like a dead
twisted leaf. It is ochreous-brown, and possesses a pair of long and twisted
head horns, several curved dorsal spines, and a series of tiny hook-like spines
along the costa of the wing cases. It is suspended by the cremaster from a stem
or leaf.
Adult behaviour
Heliconius butterflies, including
charithonia, are characterised by
having a delicate fluttering flight, particularly when hovering
around flowers.
Both sexes visit
Lantana and many
other flowers for nectar, and sequester pollen from
Psiguria flowers in the forest.
Erlich & Gilbert demonstrated that individual butterflies learn
and remember the location of particular
Psiguria plants and visit them daily, following a
predefined circuit through the forest. The pollen collected from
the flowers is processed by the butterflies to extract proteins
which enable the females to continue producing eggs over a long
period.
Males patrol in search of virgin
females, but most females are mated before their first flight.
This is because the males are able to detect female chrysalises,
and wait next to them until the female is about to emerge. Mating
then takes place immediately, even before the female has expanded
her wings. After mating, the male deposits a chemical on her
abdomen that repels other males, so as to ensure that only his own
genes are passed on.
In late afternoon the butterflies
gather to roost communally in groups of up to a 30, on twigs or
tendrils, at a height of about 1-2 metres above the ground.
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