Rank Species | ||
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Similar Heliconius cydno, Heliconius ismenius, Sara longwing, Heliconius hecalesia, Heliconius hecale | ||
Heliconius sapho
Heliconius sapho, the Sapho longwing, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It was described by Dru Drury in 1782. It is found from Mexico southward to Ecuador.
Contents
Heliconius sapho
Name
Drury left no notes on the origin of the name, but the spelling (and the naming conventions of the time) suggests it derives from the mythological Queen Sapho, not the historical poet Sappho. Subsequent authors, from John O. Westwood onwards, have unjustifiably "corrected" the spelling.
Description
Upperside: Antennae black. Eyes brown. Thorax and abdomen black. Wings mazarine blue; the anterior ones having a white band crossing them from the middle of the anterior edges to the lower corners; the posterior edged with a white border, intersected by the blue tendons of the wings.
Underside: Palpi grey. Breast and abdomen black, streaked with white. Wings black where they are blue on the upperside, with the same white markings; but next the body are adorned with beautiful red streaks, ending in points resembling rays issuing from it. Margins of the wings entire. Wingspan 3 1⁄4 inches (82 mm).