Heliconius

Heliconius
Forms of Heliconius numata, H. melpomene and H. erato
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Tribe:	Heliconiini
Genus:	Heliconius Kluk, 1780
Type species
Papilio charithonia Linnaeus, 1767
Species
About 39, see species list in text.
Synonyms
Ajantis Hübner, 1816 Apostraphia Hübner, 1816 Blanchardia Buchecker, 1880 (non Castelnau, 1875: preoccupied) Crenis Hübner, 1821 Heliconia Godart 1819 Laparus Billberg, 1820 Migonitis Hübner, 1816 (non Rafinesque, 1815: preoccupied) Neruda Turner, 1976 Phlogris Hübner, 1825 Podalirius Gistel, 1848 Sunias Hübner, 1816 Sicyonia Hübner, 1816

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.

Brought to the forefront of scientific attention by Victorian naturalists, these butterflies exhibit a striking diversity and mimicry, both amongst themselves and with species in other groups of butterflies and moths. The study of Heliconius and other groups of mimetic butterflies allowed the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates, following his return from Brazil in 1859, to lend support to Charles Darwin, who had found similar diversity amongst the Galápagos finches.