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Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

SUPERFAMILY PAPILIONOIDEA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

-Butterflies (Superfamily Papilionoidea)

-Brush-footed Butterflies (Family Nymphalidae)

-Fritillaries and Longwings (Subfamily Heliconiinae)

-Longwings (Tribe Heliconiini)​

-Longwings and Heliconians (Genus Heliconius)

-​Red Postman (Heliconius erato)

-​Heliconius erato ssp. cruentus


The Red Postman (Heliconius erato) is a striking butterfly in the Nymphalidae family and the Heliconiinae subfamily. Known for its vivid coloration and slow, graceful flight. The upper side of the wings is black with bright red vertical bands, and a white horizontal stripe. The caterpillars feed on passionflower vines (Passiflora species), which contain toxic compounds. These toxins are retained by the larvae and transferred to adults, making them distasteful to predators.

Red Postman

H​eliconius erato

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