Heliconius sara
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Heliconius sara |
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| ( Fabricius , 1793) |
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Heliconius sara is a butterfly ( butterflies ) from the genus Heliconius in the family of the noble butterfly (Nymphalidae) that occursin Central and South America. Johann Christian Fabricius named the species after Sara with the meaning "princess".
description
butterfly
The moths reach a wingspan of 55 to 60 millimeters. Their forewings are long and narrow. The basic color is black, two white transverse bands run over each forewing upper side, a broad one through the disk region and a narrow one near the apex . Some black veins run through these bands. Depending on the incidence of light, the basal region of all wing tops shimmers in strong blue tones. The drawing on the fronts shows through to the undersides of the wings. In addition, a few small red spots stand out on the inner edge of the hind wings. The fringes are white.
egg
The egg of Heliconius sara is yellow in color, is conical and has many serrated longitudinal ribs. It is deposited on the host plant individually or in small groups.
Caterpillar
The caterpillars are colored yellow and white, dotted and streaked with black over the body surface and provided with long, black, slightly branched thorns. The head is black.
Doll
The light brown colored doll shows a protruding saddle and on the abdomen many thorns as well as two long head appendages.
Similar species
Most of the moths of Heliconius congener , Heliconius wallacei and Laparus doris are practically indistinguishable from Heliconius sara . The adults of these species show an extraordinarily similar wing pattern that has become more and more similar in the course of evolution . This is an example of the principle of Müllerian mimicry founded by Johann Friedrich Theodor Müller , which states that different species that are poisonous to predators take on a very similar appearance with a warning color ( aposematism ) and are therefore avoided by them become.
distribution and habitat
Heliconius sara occurs widespread in Central America as well as in the north and middle of South America. Ten subspecies are currently listed in the individual occurrence areas. The species colonizes primarily tropical rainforests , but can also be found in gardens and parks. The altitude distribution ranges from sea level to altitudes of 1500 meters.
Way of life
The moths fly in consecutive generations throughout the year. Visit for nectar intake like flowers of Wandelröschen- , Hamelia - Psiguria or Palicourea species. They also ingest pollen . The pollen from Psiguria, Citrullus and Gurania flowers contain amino acids that cannot be obtained from nectar. They contribute to a large extent to the longevity of the butterflies, some of which live up to nine months. Already in the pupal stage, shortly before hatching , the females emit pheromones that attract the males. These then wait - often in numbers - nearby and mate with the females immediately after hatching, sometimes even during the hatching process. At night, Heliconius sara butterflies gather in small groups at overnight places. The caterpillars feed exclusively on the Passiflora auriculata, which belongs to the passion flowers ( Passiflora ) . Just like the moths later, they become inedible to predators due to the toxins absorbed from these plants. With the glycosides contained in the plants are able to store substances that are toxic for them in a non-toxic form, so that the stored cyanides are only harmful to predators.
Danger
The species is widespread and not rare in some areas. There is still no entry in the Red List of Threatened Species .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Information on Art
- ↑ Markku Savela: distribution. In: Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved on August 29, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c Butterflies of the Amazon and Andes
- ↑ caterpillar protection behavior
Web links
- cambridgebutterfly - Information from the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
- butterfliesofamerica - Butterflies of America