Red postman

Appearance

The species is remarkably variable in colour and form throughout northern South America, depending on location, and its various appearances can be difficult to distinguish from various other "Heliconius" butterflies such as "Heliconius sara", also known as the sara longwing. Particularly hard to distinguish is the related "Heliconius melpomene", or "the postman", which mimics almost all the colour forms of "Heliconius erato"; colour forms are synchronized between the two throughout their common habitats. It is likely the clade containing "Heliconius erato" radiated first, establishing the wing pattern diversity found in both species of butterfly. Two features found on the underside help to distinguish "H. erato" from "H. melpomene"—"H. erato" has four red dots where the wing attaches to the thorax while "H. melpomene" has three and the yellowish white stripe on the underside reaches the margin of the hindwing in "H. erato" but ends early in "H. melpomene".

"Heliconius erato" is up to about 5.5–8 cm in wingspan with a jerky unelegance in flight.

Like "Heliconius charithonia", "H. erato" is one of the few butterflies that collects and digests pollen, conferring considerable longevity to the adults. Adults roost in groups, returning to the same location each night.

Recent Field work has confirmed the relative abundance of this butterfly.

Naming

Listed alphabetically.

⤷ "H. e. adana" Turner, 1967
⤷ "H. e. amalfreda" Riffarth, 1901
⤷ "H. e. amazona" Staudinger, 1897
⤷ "H. e. chestertonii" Hewitson, 1872
⤷ "H. e. colombina" Staudinger, 1897
⤷ "H. e. cruentus" Lamas, 1998
⤷ "H. e. cyrbia" Godart, 1819
⤷ "H. e. demophoon" Ménétriés, 1855
⤷ "H. e. dignus" Stichel, 1923
⤷ "H. e. emma" Riffarth, 1901
⤷ "H. e. erato"
⤷ "H. e. estrella" Bates, 1862
⤷ "H. e. etylus" Salvin, 1871
⤷ "H. e. favorinus" Hopffer, 1874
⤷ "H. e. fuscombei" Lamas, 1976
⤷ "H. e. guarica" Reakirt, 1868
⤷ "H. e. hydara" Hewitson, 1867
⤷ "H. e. lativitta" Butler, 1877
⤷ "H. e. lichyi" Brown & Fernández, 1985
⤷ "H. e. magnifica" Riffarth, 1900
⤷ "H. e. microclea" Kaye, 1907
⤷ "H. e. notabilis" Salvin & Godman, 1868
⤷ "H. e. petiverana" Doubleday, 1847
⤷ "H. e. phyllis"
⤷ "H. e. reductimacula" Bryk, 1953
⤷ "H. e. tobagoensis" Barcant, 1982
⤷ "H. e. venustus" Salvin, 1871