Butterflies of Zihuatanejo

SUPERFAMILY PAPILIONOIDEA

-Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)

-Heliconius charithonia ssp. vazquezae

Heliconius charithonia, commonly known as the Zebra Longwing, is a distinctive butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is easily recognized by its elongated wings marked with bold black-and-yellow stripes, giving it a striking zebra-like appearance. Unlike many butterflies, the Zebra Longwing has a slow, graceful, gliding flight, often drifting through forests, gardens, and open areas. Its long, narrow wings and contrasting pattern make it highly visible. The underside closely resembles the upper side, maintaining the same striped pattern. This species is found in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America, inhabiting forests, edges, and disturbed habitats. It is especially notable for its behaviour—adults often roost communally at night, gathering in small groups on branches. A unique feature of Heliconius butterflies is their ability to feed on pollen as well as nectar, which provides additional nutrients and allows them to live longer than most butterflies.

Diet

Caterpillars: Feed almost exclusively on passion-vines (Passiflora). Females usually lay eggs singly or in small groups on young leaves and tendrils.
Adults: Feed on flower nectar but are unusual among butterflies in also consuming pollen. Pollen provides additional nutrients that allow adults to live for several months, much longer than most butterflies.

Range

The Zebra Longwing has a broad Neotropical range extending from northern South America through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Texas and Florida.
It occurs in the Zihua area, particularly where Passiflora vines grow in woodland edges, clearings, and secondary vegetation.

Habitat

Typically inhabits tropical and subtropical forest, woodland edges, shrubby thickets, clearings, and adjacent open areas.
It favours relatively sheltered, humid environments rather than completely exposed grassland.
Adults have a characteristic slow, graceful flight and often return repeatedly to the same feeding areas.

Description

A medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of approximately 72–100 mm.
The wings are unusually long and narrow, giving the species its distinctive longwing appearance.
The upper surface is predominantly black, crossed by several narrow, bold yellow to yellow-white stripes.
The underside has a similar pattern but is generally paler and has several small reddish spots near the body.
The sexes are very similar in appearance.
Mature caterpillars are white with black spots and numerous branched black spines, making them quite conspicuous compared with the adults.