Postman Butterfly, Common Postman, Heliconius melpomene, Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera. Central and South America.
Postman Butterfly, Common Postman, Heliconius melpomene, Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera. Central and South America. Heliconius melpomene, the postman butterfly, common postman or simply postman, is a brightly colored butterfly found throughout Central and South America. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Its coloration coevolved with a sister species H. erato as a warning to predators of its inedibility; this is an example of Müllerian mimicry. H. melpomene was one of the first butterfly species observed to forage for pollen, a behavior that is common in other groups but rare in butterflies. There are many morphs of this butterfly throughout Central and South America and variations in colouration are common. It is frequently mistaken for the similar Heliconius erato.
Size: 4626px × 3246px
Location: Central and South America.
Photo credit: © Naturepix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: america, black, brightly, butterflies, butterfly, central, colored, colour, colourful, common, fragile, green, heliconius, inedible, insect, insects, leaf, lepidoptera, melpomene, mimicry, morph, morphs, natural, nature, naturepix, nymphalidae, poisonous, postman, red, south, spots, stripes, tropical, variation, white, wildlife, wing, wings, üllerian
