Heliconius nattereri explained

Heliconius nattereri (Natterer's longwing) is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is endemic to the Atlantic forest of Brazil.

The butterfly has been found in the Feliciano Miguel Abdala Private Natural Heritage Reserve in the state of Minas Gerais.

The wings of the female H. nattereri are black, orange, and yellow in color, while the male wings are a black and yellow pattern. Males tend to fly faster and congregate in the canopy, while females fly slower and stay in the middle story.  

The H. nattereri species is currently listed as endangered. This is due to their unique habitat which is currently being invaded by humans and activities such as deforestation.^[1]

References

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Notes and References

1. Cardoso, M. Z., Brito, M. R., & Lion, M. B. Confirmation of the northernmost population of the endangered butterfly heliconius nattereri C. felder & R. felder, 1865 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Biota Neotropica. (2017) https://www.scielo.br/j/bn/a/N8WQb6wsxgZhqShJryJ4Rxv/?lang=en
2. Massardo. Darli. VanKuren. Nicholas W.. Nallu. Sumitha. Ramos. Renato R.. Ribeiro. Pedro G.. Silva-Brandão. Karina L.. Brandão. Marcelo M.. Lion. Marília B.. Freitas. André V. L.. Cardoso. Márcio Z.. Kronforst. Marcus R.. December 2020. The roles of hybridization and habitat fragmentation in the evolution of Brazil's enigmatic longwing butterflies, Heliconius nattereri and H. hermathena. BMC Biology. en. 18. 1. 84. 10.1186/s12915-020-00797-1. 1741-7007. 7334841. 32620168 . free .