Summary ²

Heliconius melpomene, the postman butterfly, common postman or simply postman, is a brightly colored butterfly found throughout Mexico and Central 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

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Marcello Consolo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcelloconsolo/43997501620/
2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconius_melpomene

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• BAMONA
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Moth Photographers Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0

iNat Map