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Post by isidro on Aug 27, 2017 17:46:07 GMT
Captive at Pilpintuwasi butterfly house (Peru), where they use native species only. Please help ID!  |
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Post by deliasfanatic on Aug 27, 2017 22:55:03 GMT
Definitely a Heliconius, although there are a number of very similar look-alike species.
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Post by isidro on Aug 28, 2017 4:47:00 GMT
Thanks deliasfanatic, so I suppose that it will be impossible to identify?
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Post by deliasfanatic on Aug 28, 2017 6:08:59 GMT
Very very difficult without knowing the exact native location. There are many look-alike species of Heliconius in Peru, and they have many subspecies within each species. The problem is complicated more by the mimicry between species being so good that some can barely be distinguished from one another.
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Post by isidro on Aug 28, 2017 19:55:36 GMT
Yep, I know about the mimicry nightmare for identification. No problem, thanks!
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Post by jshuey on Aug 29, 2017 13:06:59 GMT
Thanks deliasfanatic, so I suppose that it will be impossible to identify?
I would venture that it is one of the tiger morphs of either numata or hecale.
j
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jhyatt
Aurelian
Posts: 224
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by jhyatt on Aug 29, 2017 15:32:20 GMT
Keith Brown wrote a good long paper on the taxonomy and identification of these "sylviform" Heliconians a few decades ago. I can't seem at the moment to lay hands on my copy to give you the reference, but a little searching ought to turn it up... I'll try.
Cheers,
jh
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jhyatt
Aurelian
Posts: 224
Country: U.S.A.
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Post by jhyatt on Sept 1, 2017 13:59:56 GMT
I finally found it! See: Keith S. Brown, Jr., An Illustrated Key to the Sylvaniform Heliconius (Lep.: Nymph.) with... Subspecies", Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 102: 373-484.
It's a big paper on a very confusing group; I'm not sure that underside photo will allow identification but this would be the place to start, I think...
Cheers,
jh
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