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Helconius erato cyrbia
The Red Postman (Heliconius erato) is one of about 40 Neotropical species of butterfly belonging to the genus Heliconius. It is also commonly known as the Small Postman, the Red Passion Flower Butterfly, or the Crimson-patched Longwing.
It is called Proboscis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proboscis
If you take Heliconius hecale zuleika: With its proboscis it can feed pollen, as many of the Heliconius are doing. This will extend its lifetime up to 9 (!) months. Usually butterflies live only 2-4 weeks. So, this Zuleika is one of the longest living butterflies ever. Sometimes you see them being quite wrinkled.
What a colorful butterfly....great picture, I love how you can see it's tongue (or the proper name for what ever their mouth thing is =]
thanks Bayucca. Sorry for being impatient! Just getting the hang of how this site works...
Yes, I promised to come back, and we are positive! It is Helconius erato cyrbia.
Hi pamsai! In case you're not sure about the species you should enter Genus sp. (e.g.Heliconius sp.). In case you're not sure about a subspecies you should enter Genus species ssp. (e.g.Heliconius erato ssp.). In your case I'd wait a bit, as I am sure bayucca will be back with the confirmed ID for you.
Hi Bayucca,
Been looking into this butterfly. Yes, I can see 4 red spots also, [with a magnifying glass!] Pity I couldn't get a shot with open wings, but they didn't want to be disturbed! Sensitive time!
So what do I do in a case like this when we are not positive? Call it Heliconius erato cyrbia with a question mark?
If I am right, I can see 4 red spots, so it is Heliconius erato cyrbia. However, the white stripe is a little bit short. I will do a recheck later.
Spotted on Jul 16, 2011
Submitted on Jan 9, 2012
+1
