Common postman

Heliconius melpomene

The postman butterfly, common postman, or simply postman is one of the heliconiine butterflies found from Mexico to northern South America. Several species in the genus have very similar markings and are difficult to distinguish.This is an example of mimicry.
Heliconius melpomene, Florencia, Colombia Caquetá,Colombia,Colombia 2022,Common postman,Florencia,Geotagged,Heliconius melpomene,South America,Summer,World

Appearance

The postman butterfly has large long wings with an orange stripe down each forewing. It is poisonous and has red patterns on its wings. They tend to look similar to the species "Heliconius erato". 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 before reaching the margin in "H. melpomene".

There are many morphs of this butterfly throughout Central and South America. The geographical variation in patterns has been studied using linkage mapping and it has been found that the patterns are associated with a small number of genetic loci called genomic "hotspots". Hotspot loci for color patterning have been found homologous between co-mimics "H. erato" and "H. melpomene", strengthening evidence for the parallel evolution between the two species, across morph patterns.
Common Postman butterfly Heliconius melpomene, found in the mangrove exhibit in Burgers Zoo Burgers Zoo,Butterfly,Common postman,Fall,Geotagged,Heliconius melpomene,Netherlands

Naming

Subspecies of "Heliconius melpomene" include:
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene aglaope"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene amandus"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene amaryllis"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene cythera"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene euryades"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene malleti"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene melpomene"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene meriana"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene nanna"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene penelope"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene plesseni"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene sticheli"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene rosina"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene thelxiope"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene unimaculata"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene vicinus"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene vulcanus"
⤷  "Heliconius melpomene xenoclea" (Hewitson, [1853]
Postman butterfly or Heliconius melpomene Common postman,Geotagged,Heliconius melpomene,United States,Winter

Distribution

The distribution of this butterfly is from Central America to Southern Brazil.
Postman butterfly or Heliconius melpomene Common postman,Geotagged,Heliconius melpomene,United States,Winter

Reproduction

The caterpillar feeds on passion flower species. In Central America, the host plants are "Passiflora oerstedii" and "Passiflora menispermifolia". In other places they breed on several other "Passiflora" species. Larvae of Heliconius charithonia also eat "Passiflora", in order to indirectly attract males to females via the chemical signals emitted upon feeding.

References:

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