''Heliconius demeter'', the Demeter longwing, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by

Otto Staudinger Otto Staudinger (2 May 1830 – 13 October 1900) was a German entomologist and a natural history dealer considered one of the largest in the world specialising in the collection and sale of insects to museums, scientific institutions, and indi ...

in 1897. It is found in the Northern and Eastern part of the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

, from

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

to Northern Brazil and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. The habitat consists of sandy

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s. The larvae are

solitary Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * shortened form of solitary confinement * Solitary animal, an animal that does not live with others in its species * Solitary but social, a type of social organization in ...

and feed on ''

Dilkea ''Dilkea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Passifloraceae. Its native range is Southern Tropical America. The genus name of ''Dilkea'' is in honour of Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, 1st Baronet (1810–1869), an English pol ...

'' (

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 ...

) species. Full-grown larvae have a yellow body with black spots and a black head. They reach a length of about 20 mm. Adult ''H. demeter'' are distinguished morphologically from their sister species ''

Heliconius eratosignis ''Heliconius eratosignis'', the eratosignis longwing, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by James John Joicey and George Talbot in 1925. It is found in the south-western Amazon basin, from Brazil to Peru and Bolivia. Th ...

'' because they have a yellow streak on the base of the forewing costa underside; in contrast, ''

'' has a solid orange basal costal margin on the underside of the forewing. Brown & Benson in 1975 recognized these differences but argued that the two forms were subspecies of the same species. They also recorded both ''

'' gregarious and ''H. demeter'' solitary larvae in their paper.Brown, K.S., & Benson, W.W. 1975. The heliconians of Brazil (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Part VI. Aspects of the biology and ecology of ''Heliconius demeter'' with description of four new subspecies. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum 26:1-19. https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/files/7213/9455/2950/McGuire-AME026.pdf The Tree of Life web project has yet to recognize ''

'' as a separate species, but shows an image of a male ''

'' from Peru under the description of ''H. demeter''.Beltrán, Margarita. 2010. ''Heliconius demeter''. http://tolweb.org/Heliconius_demeter/72946

Etymology

The species is named after the Greek goddess

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

Subspecies

*''H. d. demeter'' Staudinger, 1897 (Peru, Brazil: Amazonas) *''H. d. angeli'' Neukirchen, 1997 (Peru) *''H. d. beebei'' Turner, 1966 (Guyana) *''H. d. bouqueti'' Nöldner, 1901 (French Guiana) *''H. d. joroni'' Lamas & Rosser, 2019 (Peru) *''H. d. karinae'' Neukirchen, 1990 (Brazil: Pará) *''H. d. neildi'' Neukirchen, 1997 (Ecuador) *''H. d. terrasanta'' Brown & Benson, 1975 (Brazil: Pará) *''H. d. titan'' Neukirchen, 1995 (Brazil: Amazonas) *''H. d. turneri'' Brown & Benson, 1975 (Brazil: Amazonas) *''H. d. zikani'' Brown & Benson, 1975 (Brazil: Amazonas)

References

demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

Nymphalidae of South America Lepidoptera of Brazil Lepidoptera of French Guiana Fauna of the Amazon Butterflies described in 1897 Taxa named by Otto Staudinger {{Nymphalidae-stub