The Sara longwing (''Heliconius sara'') is a

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 ...

of neotropical heliconiid

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 ...

found from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to 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 ...

and southern Brazil. It is a colourful species: the dorsal wing surface is black with a large medial patch of metallic blue that is framed by two bands of white on the forewings. (This coloration is similar to that of Wallace's longwing, ''H. wallacei'', whose range overlaps Sara's, but does not extend as far north.) The ventral wing surface is a dull brown to black with muted bands and small red spots on the proximal margin; total wingspan is 55–60 mm. Inhabiting

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, adults are commonly found among sparser secondary growth and along forest margins. They feed on the

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

of ''

Hamelia ''Hamelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. The name honors French botanist Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau (1700–1782). Selected species * '' Hamelia axillaris'' Sw. – Guayabo Negro * '' Hamelia cuprea'' ...

'', '' Lantana'', ''

Palicourea ''Palicourea'' is a plant genus in the family Rubiaceae. It contains about 200 species, which range from shrubs to small trees, and is distributed throughout the New World tropics.Taylor (2008) These plants are closely related to ''Psychotria'' ...

'', and ''

Psiguria ''Psiguria'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. Its native range is Mexico to Tropical America. Species: *''Psiguria pedata'' *''Psiguria racemosa'' *''Psiguria ternata'' *''Psiguria triphylla'' *''Psiguri ...

'' plants. They reproduce continuously, with several generations produced every year. Sara longwings are one of several heliconiids exhibiting the unusual practice of

pupal mating A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

, in which adult males are attracted to female

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

e via the latter's pheromones. The males compete for prime perch space close to the females' chrysalids, and successful suitors forcibly mate with the females immediately following their emergence. Alternatively, males may also patrol a territory in which they search for females that have already emerged. The adult stage has a lifespan of 2–3 months. Like other heliconiids, females seek the new growth of

passion flower ''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae. They are mostly tendril-bearing vines, with some being shrubs or trees. They ...

vines to lay their small yellow eggs, in clusters of 10–50. The vines contain toxic compounds that the caterpillars are immune to; as they feed upon the vines, the caterpillars concentrate the toxins within their tissues. After pupating (with the chrysalis also found on the host vine and

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

d like a leaf), the adult retains the toxins and is thus protected from

predation 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 the ...

References

Sara Longwing Butterfly: Reference quality large format closeup photographs
Cirrus Digital Imaging *Kemp, D. J. (2000)
Butterfly contests: neither paradoxical nor contradictory
''Animal Behaviour'', 60, F44–F46. Retrieved September 26, 2005 (PDF) *Reiman Gardens, Iowa State University. ''Sara Longwing''. Retrieved September 26, 2005 from http://www.reimangardens.iastate.edu/documents/heliconioussara_052305094527.pdf {{Taxonbar, from=Q2603544 Heliconius Butterflies described in 1793