The Heliconiinae, commonly called heliconians or longwings, are a

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

of the

brush-footed butterflies The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a redu ...

(

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Nymphalidae). They can be divided into 45–50

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

and were sometimes treated as a separate family Heliconiidae within the

Papilionoidea The superfamily Papilionoidea (from the genus ''Papilio'', meaning "butterfly") contains all the butterflies except for the moth-like Hedyloidea. The members of the Papilionoidea may be distinguished by the following combination of characters: ...

. The colouration is predominantly reddish and black, and though of varying wing shape, the forewings are always elongated tipwards, hence the common name. Most longwings are found in the

Tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

, particularly in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

; only the

Argynnini Argynnini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae, containing some of the fritillaries. This group has roughly 100 species worldwide and roughly 30 in North America. Systematics This group has also been classified as subtribe Ar ...

are quite diverse in the

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical region ...

. Especially

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

species feed on

poisonous plants Plants that produce toxins are referred to as poisonous plants. Plants that cause irritation on contact are also described as "poisonous". The toxins in poisonous plants affect herbivores, and deter them from consuming the plants. Plants cannot ...

, characteristically

Passifloraceae The Passifloraceae are a family of flowering plants, containing about 750 species classified in around 27 genera. They include trees, shrubs, lianas, and climbing plants, and are mostly found in tropical regions. The family takes its name from t ...

vines, as

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e, becoming poisonous themselves. The adult butterflies announce their acquired toxicity with strong

aposematic Aposematism is the advertising by an animal to potential predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, such as toxicity, venom, foul taste or ...

colours, warning off would-be

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s. There are several famous cases of

Batesian Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a predator of them both. It is named after the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates, after his work on Bu ...

and

Müllerian mimicry Müllerian mimicry is a natural phenomenon in which two or more well-defended species, often foul-tasting and sharing common predators, have come to mimic each other's honest warning signals, to their mutual benefit. The benefit to Müllerian ...

both within this group and with other butterflies. Other commonly seen food plants are

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

(which also contain several toxic species), and particularly among northerly species of

Violaceae Violaceae is a family of flowering plants established in 1802, consisting of about 1000 species in about 25 genera. It takes its name from the genus ''Viola'', the violets and pansies. Older classifications such as the Cronquist system placed t ...

.Silva-Brandão ''et al.'' (2008)

Systematics

Four or five

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

s are generally recognized in the Heliconiinae. There have been numerous attempts to sort out the

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

sequence and delimitation of these, but while the former has made good progress, the latter has hitherto only achieved limited results. Several phylogenies (and corresponding

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

adjustments) have been proposed, but though looking reasonable each and every one of them is only weakly supported. Even

cladistic Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...

analyses of the same type of data often yield contradicting results depending on the exact method of evaluation. Ultimately, the reason is that just a fraction of the

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

ary diversity of Heliconiinae has been sampled. What appears fairly certain is that the

and

Vagrantini Vagrantini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae found from east Africa over the Indian subcontinent to eastern Asia and Australia. Genera Listed in alphabetical order:Acraeini The Acraeini are a tribe of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. Genera The recognized genera are: Tree of Life * ''Abananote'' Potts, 1943 * ''Acraea'' Fabricius, 1807 – acraeas * ''Actinote'' Hübner, 819 ...

and

Heliconiini Heliconiini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae, also known as the passion-vine butterflies. This group has roughly 100 species and subspecies distributed primarily in the Neotropics.basal lineages, but the exact placement of each respective to the other tribes cannot be considered well resolved at all. Argynnis paphia male Weinsberg 20070722 1

Argynnis paphia male Weinsberg 20070722 1

Some tribes are distributed among several

continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

s, resulting in a confusing

phylogeography Phylogeography is the study of the historical processes that may be responsible for the past to present geographic distributions of genealogical lineages. This is accomplished by considering the geographic distribution of individuals in light of ge ...

pattern. But as it seems, the apparent contradictions between

systematics Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...

and

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

are due to the premature classifications based on insufficient

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

sampling. With studies becoming more and more comprehensive, the apparent anomalies seem to sort themselves out at least for the most part. For example, the confusing distribution pattern of ''

Acraea Acraea (Ancient Greek: means 'of the heights' from ''akraios'') was a name that had several uses in Greek and Roman mythology. *Acraea, the naiad daughter of the river-god Asterion near Mycenae, who together with her sisters Euboea and Prosymn ...

'' in the wide circumscription is apparently simply due to the bulk of this morphologically conservative group warranting recognition as genus ''

Telchinia ''Acraea'' is a genus of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae) of the subfamily Heliconiinae. It seems to be highly paraphyletic and has long been used as a " wastebin taxon" to unite about 220 species of anatomically conservative Ac ...

'' – it stands to note that this group has on occasion been allied with ''

Actinote ''Actinote'' is a genus of butterflies from South America of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. (For taxonomic problems regarding this group, see ''Acraea''.) Males interact with or without physical contact to contest the posse ...

'' rather than ''Acraea'', and this indeed appears to be correct. In addition, the genus ''

Pardopsis ''Pardopsis'' is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae. Its only species is ''Pardopsis punctatissima'', the polka dot. It is found in fynbos, lowland and Afromontane forest, and grassland from Van Stadens Pass in the Eastern Cap ...

'', often placed in the Acraeini, does almost certainly not belong there; it is now tentatively placed in the Argynnini. The relationships of the genus ''

Cethosia ''Cethosia'', commonly called the lacewings, is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. They are found mainly in southeastern Asia as far south as Australia. Species Listed alphabetically: ** '' Cethosia h ...

'' (sometimes treated as a tribe of its own) are even more mysterious, and it is likely that some other genera will eventually also be moved to a different tribe as they are studied in detail. Some, like the Argynnini ''

Argynnis ''Argynnis'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, one of several groups known as " fritillaries". Its species are commonly found in Europe and Asia. Systematics Several current species of ''Argynnis'' used to be included in dist ...

'', ''

Boloria ''Boloria'' is a brush-footed butterfly (Nymphalidae) genus. ''Clossiana'' is usually included with it nowadays, though some authors still consider it distinct and it seems to warrant recognition as a subgenus at least. Species Listed alphabetic ...

'' and ''

Issoria ''Issoria'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae commonly found in the Palearctic realm, Africa, and South America. Taxonomy The South American genus ''Yramea ''Yramea'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae ...

'', might be overlumped and non-

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

and thus some genera presently usually considered

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

s of them might eventually be validated like ''Telchinia''.

Genera

Genera are presented in the presumed

sequence. Notable

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are also given if no genus article exists.Based on Wahlberg

008 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * The Streetwear Brand @008us , inspired by Ian Fleming & Virgil Abloh *"030", the fictional 030 Agent of MI6 * '' 038: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film * '' Explosivo 030'' a 1940 Argentine c ...

Silva-Brandão et al. (2008). See also Savela (2008) for further sources.

Acraeini The Acraeini are a tribe of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. Genera The recognized genera are: Tree of Life * ''Abananote'' Potts, 1943 * ''Acraea'' Fabricius, 1807 – acraeas * ''Actinote'' Hübner, 819 ...

Boisduval, 1833 * ''

Abananote ''Abananote'' is a genus of butterflies from north-western South America of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. For taxonomic problems regarding this group, see ''Acraea Acraea (Ancient Greek: means 'of the heights' from ' ...

'' Potts, 1943 * ''

'' Hübner, 1819 * ''

Altinote ''Altinote'' is a genus of butterflies from South America of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. For taxonomic problems regarding this group, see ''Acraea''. Species Listed alphabetically within groups:Glassberg, Jeffrey. (2007 ...

'' Potts, 1943 * ''

'' Fabricius, 1807 (

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

) * ''

Bematistes ''Bematistes'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. The genus is often included in ''Acraea''. Species *''umbra'' species group: **''Bematistes adrasta'' (Weymer, 1892) **''Bematistes aganice'' (Hewitson, 1852) **''Bematistes alc ...

'' Hemming, 1935 * ''

'' Fabricius, 1807 – lacewings * '' Miyana'' Fruhstorfer, 1914 (tentatively placed here)

Heliconiini Heliconiini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae, also known as the passion-vine butterflies. This group has roughly 100 species and subspecies distributed primarily in the Neotropics.Agraulis The Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly (''Dione vanillae'') is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. That subfamily was formerly set apart as a separate family, the Heliconiidae. The Heliconiinae ...

'' Boisduval & Le Conte, 1835 Caterpillar-Both-02 crop

* ''

Dione Dione may refer to: Astronomy *106 Dione, a large main belt asteroid *Dione (moon), a moon of Saturn *Helene (moon), a moon of Saturn sometimes referred to as "Dione B" Mythology *Dione (Titaness), a Titaness in Greek mythology *Dione (mythology) ...

'' Hübner, 1819 * '' Dryadula'' Michner, 1942 – banded orange * '' Dryas'' Hübner,

807 __NOTOC__ Year 807 ( DCCCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Empire and Byzantine Empire * Emperor Nikephoros I is forced to sue for peace, on ...

/small> – Julia heliconian * ''

Eueides ''Eueides'' is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. Species Listed alphabetically:Heliconius ''Heliconius'' comprises a colorful and widespread genus of brush-footed butterflies commonly known as the longwings or heliconians. This genus is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the New World, from South America a ...

'' Kluk, 1780 – brush-foot butterflies * ''

Philaethria ''Philaethria'' is a genus of New World butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae. Species The following is a list of species classified under ''Philaethria'':Podotricha ''Podotricha'' is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the s ...

'' Michener, 1942 Butterfly vindula arsinoe

Vagrantini Vagrantini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae found from east Africa over the Indian subcontinent to eastern Asia and Australia. Genera Listed in alphabetical order:Lachnoptera'' Doubleday, 1847 * '' Phalanta'' Horsfield, 1829 * '' Smerina'' Hewitson, 1874 * '' Vindula'' Hemming, 1934 – cruisers * ''

Cirrochroa ''Cirrochroa'', commonly called yeomen, is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae found in southeast Asia. The genus ranges from India to New Guinea. Species In alphabetical order:847]"">"''Cirrochroa' ...

'' Doubleday, 1847 * '' Algiachroa'' Parsons, 1989 * ''

Algia ''Algia'' is a genus of butterflies of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the family Nymphalidae found in southeast Asia. The genus ranges from Burma to New Guinea. Species Listed in alphabetical order:Terinos ''Terinos'' is a genus of Nymphalid butterflies. They are found from Burma, through South-East Asia, to New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guin ...

'' Boisduval, 1836 * ''

Cupha ''Cupha'' is a butterfly genus of the family Nymphalidae found in the Indomalayan and the Australasian realms. The contained species are: *'' Cupha crameri'' (Felder, 1860) *''Cupha erymanthis'' (Drury, 773 *'' Cupha lampetia'' (Linnaeus, 1764 ...

'' Billberg, 1820 * '' Vagrans'' Hemming, 1934

Duponchel, 1835 * ''

Euptoieta ''Euptoieta'' is a genus of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae found in the Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestri ...

'' Doubleday 1848 * ''

'' Trimen, 1887 (tentatively placed here) * ''

Yramea ''Yramea'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are ...

'' Reuss 1920 * ''

'' Moore, 1900 (including ''Clossiana'') * ''

'' Hübner 1819 * ''

Brenthis ''Brenthis'' is a butterfly genus of the family Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usu ...

'' Hübner 1819 * ''

'' Fabricius 1807 * ''

Speyeria ''Speyeria'', commonly known as greater fritillaries, is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae commonly found in North America, Europe, and Asia. Some authors used to consider this taxon a subgenus of ''Argynnis'', but it has been re ...

'' Scudder, 1872 * ''

Fabriciana ''Fabriciana'' is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, commonly found in Europe and Asia. The genus was erected by T. Reuss (T. Reuß) in 1920. Taxonomy This taxon used to be considered a subgenus of ''Argynnis ''Argynnis'' is a ...

'' Reuss, 1920

Footnotes

References

* (1981). The biology of ''Heliconius'' and related genera. '' Annu. Rev. Entomol.'' 26: 427–456. PDF fulltext
* (2004). ''The Butterfly Handbook'': 130. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, New York. * (2008). Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms &ndash

Version of 2008-FEB-09. Retrieved 2008-AUG-14. * (2008). Phylogenetic relationships of butterflies of the tribe Acraeini (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae) and the evolution of host plant use. '' Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.'' 46(2): 515–531. (HTML abstract) * (2008). Nymphalidae.net &ndash
The higher classification of Nymphalidae
Retrieved 2008-AUG-14.

External links

Tree of Life Heliconiinae

Heliconius Butterfly Website

Heliconius Genomics Project

on the UF /

IFAS IFAS may refer: * Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences * Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge, a sewage treatment process * International French adjectival system In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, clim ...

Featured Creatures Web site
Butterflies and Moths of North America

Butterflies of America
{{Taxonbar, from=Q855355 - Butterfly subfamilies

Systematics

Genera

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links