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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies (excluding skippers) (Papilionoidea) » Brushfooted Butterflies (Nymphalidae) » Heliconians and Fritillaries (Heliconiinae) » Heliconius » Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charithonia)
Photo#173686
Red dots on Zebra Longwing - Heliconius charithonia
Copyright © 2007 EclecticNature

Red dots on Zebra Longwing - Heliconius charithonia
Largo, Pinellas County, Florida, USA
September 3, 2007
I know this is a Zebra Longwing but I haven't seen these red dots on the top side of the wings on the other pictures. Can anyone tell me about why this butterfly has them? Is this a normal marking for them to have?
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Contributed by EclecticNature on 20 March, 2008 - 5:45pm
Last updated 25 March, 2008 - 6:26pm

Tree of Life
According to Tree of Life "The Heliconius butterflies are the most speciose genus within the Heliconiini, displaying a dramatic diversity of colour patterns at species and sub-species level. They are also famous for Müllerian mimicry, with many species converging on a common wing pattern where they live together."
… Beatriz Moisset, 29 May, 2008 - 2:52pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Zebra Longwing.
… EclecticNature, 20 March, 2008 - 10:10pm login or register to post comments

Look closer. The red marks a
Look closer. The red marks aren't uncommon.
… Jebus31, 20 March, 2008 - 6:48pm login or register to post comments

 
Most of the images in the guide
don't have the red spots. Is that a gender question?
… john and jane balaban, 20 March, 2008 - 9:59pm login or register to post comments

 
I just wasn't sure why they w
I just wasn't sure why they were so prominent on the dorsal wings of this one. I have looked at numerous other images and have only seen very faint marks on a couple. I wasn't sure what it might signify..gender, seasonal change, age, or just variances between individuals...was hoping someone might know. I know almost zilch about bugs...just curious.
… EclecticNature, 20 March, 2008 - 10:04pm login or register to post comments

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