Attributes of Heliconius charithonia
Zebra Heliconian
Heliconius charithonia (Linnaeus, 1767)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Identification: Wings long and narrow; black with narrow yellow stripes.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 4 inches (7 - 10.1 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for females, and are also attracted to female chrysalids. A male will wait on the chrysalis and mate with the female as she is about to emerge. He then deposits on her abdomen a chemical than repels other males. Eggs are laid in groups of 5-15 on leaf buds or leaves of the host plant; caterpillars feed at night on leaves. Adults roost communally in groups of 25-30 individuals.
Flight: All year in South Texas and southern Florida, wanders north during warmer months.
Caterpillar Hosts: Passion-vines including Passiflora suberosa, P. lutea, and P. affinis.
Adult Food: Flower nectar and pollen, which are gathered on a set foraging route or "trap-line". Favorite plants include lantana and shepherd's needle.
Habitat: Tropical hammocks, moist forests, edges, fields.
Range: South America north through Central America, West Indies, and Mexico to South Texas and peninsular Florida. Occasional immigrant north to New Mexico, Nebraska, and South Carolina.
Conservation: Not usually required, but habitat for permanent populations is limited in South Texas.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Maintain habitat and host plant colonies.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Heliconius charithonia
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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November 26, 2012 | thorsell | Jalisco, Mexico | May 01, 2013 | Details |
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February 03, 2013 | LLJohnson | Dominican Republic | April 19, 2013 | Details |
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January 20, 2013 | Naseem Reza | Volusia County, Florida, United States | April 17, 2013 | Details |
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March 05, 2013 | mrcnaturally | Collier County, Florida, United States | March 27, 2013 | Details |
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February 25, 2013 | jjflossem | Hernando County, Florida, United States | March 09, 2013 | Details |
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March 03, 2013 | Mensore | Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States | March 04, 2013 | Details |
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January 22, 2013 | suedavies28 | Orange County, Florida, United States | February 11, 2013 | Details |
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October 02, 2010 | Doug Taron | Veracruz-Llave, Mexico | January 27, 2013 | Details |
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November 17, 2012 | jjflossem | Hernando County, Florida, United States | December 07, 2012 | Details |
| August 20, 1984 | legacy.reporter (GP Bruyea) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| October 18, 1986 | legacy.reporter (Larry Muller) | Cochise County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 19, 1990 | legacy.reporter (D. Mitchell) | Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 19, 2005 | legacy.reporter (Mary Klinkel) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 27, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Tony Battiste) | Cochise County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 31, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Tony Battiste) | Cochise County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 14, 2005 | legacy.reporter (Janine McCabe) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
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April 20, 2011 | huatulco | Oaxaca, Mexico | November 15, 2012 | Details |
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February 03, 2000 | Tim Bagworth | Hidalgo County, Texas, United States | November 11, 2012 | Details |
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October 02, 2012 | guy_incognito | Monroe County, Florida, United States | November 07, 2012 | Details |
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October 13, 2012 | Pierre Howard | Laurens County, Georgia, United States | November 02, 2012 | Details |
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October 28, 2012 | Kimberly Mrozinski | Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States | October 28, 2012 | Details |
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September 22, 2012 | jlittlejohn | Duval County, Florida, United States | October 04, 2012 | Details |
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September 01, 2012 | Roy Brown | Glynn County, Georgia, United States | September 21, 2012 | Details |
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September 09, 2012 | Clocke | Texas, Travis County, United States | September 14, 2012 | Details |
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August 24, 2012 | naturecoastnaturalist | Levy County, Florida, United States | September 05, 2012 | Details |
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September 04, 2012 | TyrannyRains | Polk County, Florida, United States | September 05, 2012 | Details |
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September 07, 2002 | stomlins701 | Leon County, Florida, United States | September 03, 2012 | Details |
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September 02, 2012 | jjflossem | Hernando County, Florida, United States | September 03, 2012 | Details |
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June 21, 2012 | scfl47 | Indian River County, Florida, United States | August 04, 2012 | Details |
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April 28, 2012 | LLJohnson | Dominican Republic | July 03, 2012 | Details |
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May 26, 2012 | jwunder3 | Orange County, Florida, United States | June 15, 2012 | Details |
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May 31, 2012 | jwunder3 | Orange County, Florida, United States | June 15, 2012 | Details |
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May 23, 2012 | John van Dort | Francisco Morazán, Honduras | May 23, 2012 | Details |
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April 07, 2012 | Kari | Lee County, Florida, United States | April 27, 2012 | Details |
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September 29, 2008 | Alan Harvey | Bulloch County, Georgia, United States | April 10, 2012 | Details |
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January 18, 2012 | jomarlin | Sarasota County, Florida, United States | February 27, 2012 | Details |
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February 14, 2008 | suedavies28 | Palm Beach County, Florida, United States | February 27, 2012 | Details |
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November 03, 2011 | LLJohnson | Dominican Republic | January 22, 2012 | Details |
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December 29, 2011 | Rhonda Broadway | Sarasota County, Florida, United States | January 22, 2012 | Details |
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January 07, 2012 | bentert | Collier County, Florida, United States | January 16, 2012 | Details |
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November 02, 2007 | Shirley Wilkerson | Brazos County, Texas, United States | November 17, 2011 | Details |
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November 09, 2006 | Olga_H | Okeechobee County, Florida, United States | August 11, 2011 | Details |
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September 27, 2003 | cyric | Leon County, Florida, United States | August 11, 2011 | Details |
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November 10, 2007 | dmtaggart | Quintana Roo, Mexico | August 10, 2011 | Details |
| November 13, 1989 | legacy.reporter (P. Hart) | Harnett County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| October 15, 1993 | legacy.reporter (Pullmans) | Durham County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| July 05, 1996 | legacy.reporter (M. Sparks) | New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| October 12, 1997 | legacy.reporter (R. Emmitt) | Orange County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| October 04, 1999 | legacy.reporter (PCH) | Harnett County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details | |
| August 10, 2003 | rickypatterson (Patterson) | Orange County, North Carolina, United States | May 01, 2011 | Details |
