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Cydno Longwing Butterfly - Heliconius cydno
The longwing butterflies have unusually
long lifespans and high fecundity rates, which largely result
from their augmented diet. Instead of surviving on food stores
from the larval stage or solely sipping flower nectar, adult
longwing butterflies are avid pollen eaters. These trait make
them eminently suitable for butterfly farming and butterfly
gardening. Also, Adult Longwings may live for several months,
much longer than most butterflies.
The longwing butterflies are also known as Heliconians. They
are brightly colored butterflies with long forewings. Once
placed in their own family, they are now considered closely
related to the fritillaries. Larvae of most longwings feed
on passion vines, and this host plant imparts noxious chemicals
to the larvae which are carried over to the adult butterflies.
This relationship is identical to the monarch butterflies'
reliance on its host plant, milkweed, for defense. Predators
find these chemicals distasteful and avoid eating the
butterflies.
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