Heliconius luciana
Andrew V. Z. BrowerIntroduction
A geographically-restricted Heliconius species, apparently belonging to the silvaniform group, occurring in Roraima (northern Brazil) and Venezuela. It is involved in Müllerian mimicry with H. antiochus, and perhaps also local dark forms of H. hecale and H. burneyi.
Characteristics
H. luciana is blackish-blue with white transverse forewing bands. It may be distinguished from mimetic H. antiochus by the presence of submarginal white spots on the forewing which give the white band a more broken appearance. The costal margin of the hindwing in males exhibits the pale androconial scales typical of members of the silvaniform and cydno-melopmene groups. The underside of the hindwing is marked by a costal yellow stripe reminiscent of that found in H. elevatus, to which this species may be related.
Geographical Races
Two subspecies/races have been described:
- Heliconius luciana luciana Lichy 1960, Roraima (northern Brazil) and upper Orinoco in Venezuela
- Heliconius luciana watunna Lichy 1970, Rio Cuchivero, central Venezuela
References
Lichy, R. 1960 Documentos para servir al estudio de los Lepidopteros de Venezuela IV. Un especie nueva del genero Heliconius Kluk (Rhopalocera, Nymphalidae) Heliconius luciana sp. n. Rev. Fac. Agron. Univ. Central. Venez. (Maracay) 2, 20-44.
Lichy, R. 1970 Documentos para servir al estudio de los lepidopteros de Venezuela. Una subespecie nueva del genero Heliconius Kluk (Rhopalocera, Nymphalidae): Heliconius luciana watunna subsp. nov. Bol. Acad. Cienc. Fis. Mat. Nat. (Caracas) 30, 39-47.
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Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
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Heliconius luciana .
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- First online 24 June 2008
- Content changed 24 June 2008
Citing this page:
Brower, Andrew V. Z. 2008. Heliconius luciana . Version 24 June 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Heliconius_luciana/72901/2008.06.24 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
