#  Heliconius 

 



I am often asked for general reviews and reference material on *Heliconius*. Here are some useful starters:

### Non-specialist articles

- [Crane J. (1957)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Crane%201957%20Natgeo.pdf): Keeping house for tropical butterflies. National Geographic Magazine 112(2):193-217.
- D'Abrera, B (1984): Butterflies of the Neotropical region. Vol. Part II. Danaidae, Ithomiidae, Heliconidae & Morphidae. Hill House, Ferny Creek, Victoria, Australia.
- De Vries, P (1986): The Butterflies of Costa Rica. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ.
- Hiam, AW (1982): Airborne models and flying mimics. Natural History 91 (No. 4, April), 42-49.
- Jones, FM (1930): The sleeping heliconias of Florida. Natural. History 30, 635-644.
- Mallet, J (1997): [Mimicry in postman and rayed *Heliconius* from Peru.](https://jamesmallet.github.io/Mim/helicon.htm)
- Mallet, J and Joron, M (2000): [Mimicry between polymorphic *Heliconius numata* and *Melinaea* (Ithomiinae).](https://jamesmallet.github.io/Mim/num.html)
- Milius, S (2001): Alarming butterflies and go-better fish: overlooked ways to invent new species. Science News, July 21, 2001.
- Murawski, DA (1993): A taste for poison. National Geographic 184 (No. 6, December), 122-137.
- Smart, P (1976): The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World. Hamlyn, London.
- Turner, JRG (1973): Passion flower butterflies. Animals 15, 15-21.
- Turner, JRG (1975): A tale of two butterflies. Natural History 84 (No. 2, February), 24-37. [Nice map!](https://jamesmallet.github.io/hel/turner75.jpg)
- Wilson, P (2000): [*Heliconius* feeding on a *Psiguria* vine in Eastern Ecuador](https://jamesmallet.github.io/hyb/pw/pw1.html)

### Checklists and species databases of Heliconiini

- [Non-synonymic checklist, with links to maps (modified from Lamas, by Neil Rosser)](https://heliconius-maps.github.io)
- [Complete data for scientific names of the butterflies of the world (Lamas et al., in progress)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/taxome/gbn/)
- [Type photos of Neotropical butterflies (Tropical Andean Butterfly Diversity Project, Gerardo Lamas photos of types, Nick Grishin scripting)](https://www.butterfliesofamerica.com/L/Neotropical.htm)

### Blog and mailing list

- [*Heliconius* mailing list sign-up and info](https://www.mailinglists.ucl.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/heliconius)
- [heliconius.org blog](http://www.heliconius.org)

### Other web pages with information on *Heliconius*

- [Bates, Henry Walter (1863): the first study of a *Heliconius* hybrid zone](https://jamesmallet.github.io/Mim/Bates63_2.html)
- Beebe et al. (1960): [How to tell the sex of *Heliconius* pupae](https://jamesmallet.github.io/Mim2/heliconius_pupa_sex_difference.html).
- Beltrán, Margarita, et al. Phylogeny of *Heliconius*. See: [Beltrán, M., Jiggins, C.D., Brower, A.V.Z., Bermingham, E., Mallet, J. (2007). Do pollen feeding and pupal-mating have a single origin in Heliconius? Inferences from multilocus sequence data. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 92: 221-239.](https://jamesmallet.github.io/pap/beltran07.pdf)
- [Beltrán, Margarita, et al.](https://web.archive.org/web/20240507055516/http://tolweb.org/Heliconiini): 'Tree of Life' systematic treatment of Heliconiini. Treatment of [*Heliconius*](https://web.archive.org/web/20250325072822/http://www.tolweb.org/Heliconius/)*.*
- [Brown, Keith S. (1979): Ecologia Geográfica e Evolução nas Florestas Neotropicais. 2 vols.](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/brown79/brown79.html) Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil. (Parts of this out of print monograph are now available on the web).
- Brown, Keith S. and Fernández Yépez, Francisco (1985): Los Heliconiini (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) de Venezuela. Bol. Entomol. Venez. N.S. 3(4):29-73 (This excellent but hard-to-find monograph of heliconiines is now available on the web, profusely illustrated in colour. NB: this has been rekeyed; there may be small orthographic differences). [PDF version](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/b&f85/b&f85.pdf) (warning 80 MB!).
- [Gilbert, Lawrence, Laboratory, UT Austin](https://integrativebio.utexas.edu/directory/lawrence-gilbert)
- [Jiggins, Chris: Heliconius genomics and evolution, University of Cambridge](http://heliconius.zoo.cam.ac.uk/)
- [Joron, Mathieu: Evolution of mimetic diversity in *Heliconius numata*, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris](https://joron.cefe.cnrs.fr/)
- [Mallet, James & Simpson, Fraser: *Heliconius* colour pattern genetics -- broods](https://jamesmallet.github.io/broods/)
- [Mallet, James (and colleagues): Hybrids between species of *Heliconius* and *Eueides* butterflies](https://jamesmallet.github.io/hyb/)
- [Mallet, James (and colleagues): Mutant *Heliconius*](https://jamesmallet.github.io/hyb/mutants/mutants.html)
- [Mallet, James (and colleagues): Recent publications](https://jamesmallet.github.io/publications.html)
- [Mallet, James (and colleagues): Research](http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/mallet/research.html)
- [Mallet, J., Lamas, G. et al. Heliconiina and Ithomiinae near Tarapoto, Peru](https://jamesmallet.github.io/ith/tarapoto/sutzon.html)
- [Rosser, Neil: Links to maps of subspecies and species](https://heliconius-maps.github.io/)
- [Smiley, John: PhD Thesis and other publications (1978-1986) on *Heliconius* and *Passiflora*](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John-Smiley)
- [UK *Passiflora* Collection - larval food for *Heliconius*](https://www.passionflow.co.uk/)

### General scientific publications about *Heliconius*

- Beebe, William (1955): the first experimental crosses with *Heliconius erato* and *H. melpomene*: [Beebe, W. 1955. Polymorphism in reared broods of Heliconius butterflies from Surinam and Trinidad. Zoologica, N.Y. 40: 139-143, plates I-VI](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/beebe55.pdf)
- Brown, KS (1981): The biology of *Heliconius* and related genera. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 26, 427-456.
- Brower, AVZ (1996): Parallel race formation and the evolution of mimicry in *Heliconius* butterflies: a phylogenetic hypothesis from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Evolution 50, 195-221.
- Brower, AVZ; Egan, MG (1997): Cladistics of *Heliconius* butterflies and relatives (Nymphalidae: Heliconiiti): the phylogenetic position of *Eueides* based on sequences from mtDNA and a nuclear gene. Proc. Royal Soc. Lond. B 264: 969-977.
- [Bull, VJ (2003)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/bullthesis/): Genealogy and speciation in *Heliconius* butterflies. PhD thesis, University of London.
- [Crane J. (1954)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Crane%201954%20Zoologica.pdf): Spectral reflectance characteristics of butterflies (Lepidoptera) from Trinidad, B.W.I. Zoologica, New York 39:85-115.
- [Crane J. (1955)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Crane%201955%20Zoologica.pdf): Imaginal behaviour of a Trinidad butterfly, *Heliconius erato hydara* Hewitson, with special reference to the social use of color. Zoologica, New York 40:167-196.
- [Crane J. (1957)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Crane%201957%20Zoologica.pdf): Imaginal behavior in butterflies of the family Heliconiidae: changing social patterns and irrelevant actions. Zoologica, New York 42:135-145.
- [Crane J. (1957)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Crane%201957%20Natgeo.pdf): Keeping house for tropical butterflies. National Geographic Magazine 112(2):193-217.
- Gilbert, LE (1975): Ecological consequences of a coevolved mutualism between butterflies and plants. In: Coevolution of Animals and Plants. (Eds: Gilbert, LE; Raven, PR) University of Texas Press, Austin, TX, 210-240.
- Gilbert, LE (1983): Coevolution and mimicry. Chap. 12. In: Coevolution. (Eds: Futuyma,DJ; Slatkin,M) Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Mass., 263-281.
- Gilbert, LE (1991): Biodiversity of a Central American *Heliconius* community: pattern, process, and problems. Chap. 18. In: Plant-Animal Interactions: Evolutionary Ecology in Tropical and Temperate Regions. (Eds: Price,PW; Lewinsohn,TM; Fernandes,TW; Benson,WW) John Wiley, New York, 403-427.
- [Mallet, J (1986)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/pap/mallet%2086%20hi-res%20compr.pdf): Gregarious roosting and home range in *Heliconius* butterflies. Natl. Geogr. Res. 2, 198-215.
- [Mallet, J; Gilbert, LE (1995)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/pap/Mallet&Gilbert95.pdf): Why are there so many mimicry rings? Correlations between habitat, behaviour and mimicry in *Heliconius* butterflies. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 55, 159-180.
- [Mallet, J.L.B., & Turner, J.R.G. (1998)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/pap/mallet%20&%20Turner%201998%20in%20Grant%20book.pdf): Biotic drift or the shifting balance: did forest islands drive the diversity of warningly coloured butterflies? In Grant, P.R. (ed.) Evolution on Islands. Oxford University Press. pp. 262-280.
- [Naisbit, RE (2001)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/naisbitthesis02.pdf): Ecological divergence and speciation in *Heliconius cydno* and *H. melpomene*. PhD thesis, University of London
- Papageorgis, C (1975): Mimicry in neotropical butterflies. American Scientist 63, 522-532
- [Sheppard PM, Turner JRG, Brown KS, Benson WW, Singer MC. (1985)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Sheppard%20et%20al%201985%20ocr.pdf): Genetics and the evolution of muellerian mimicry in *Heliconius* butterflies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B-Biological Sciences 308:433-613.
- [Turner JRG. (1972)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Turner%201972%20The%20Genetics%20of%20Some%20Polymorphic%20Form%20of%20Butterflies%20OCR.pdf): The genetics of some polymorphic forms of the butterflies *Heliconius melpomene* (Linnaeus) and *Heliconius erato* (Linnaeus). II. The hybridization of subspecies of *H. melpomene* from Surinam and Trinidad. Zoologica, New York 56: 125-157
- Turner, JRG (1981): Adaptation and evolution in *Heliconius*: a defense of neo-Darwinism. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 12, 99-121
- [Turner, JRG (1984)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Turner_1984.pdf): Mimicry: the palatability spectrum and its consequences. Chap. 14. In: The Biology of Butterflies. (Eds: Vane- Wright, RI; Ackery, PR) (Symposia of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 11.) Academic Press, London, 141-161.
- [Turner JRG, Crane J. (1962)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/Turner%20&%20Crane%201962%20The%20Genetics%20of%20Some%20Polymorphic%20Forms%20of%20the%20Butterflies%20OCR.pdf): The genetics of some polymorphic forms of the butterflies *Heliconius melpomene* Linnaeus and *Heliconius erato* Linnaeus. I. Major genes. Zoologica, New York 47: 141-152
- [Turner, JRG; Mallet, JLB (1996)](http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim/pap/turner%20&%20mallet%201996.pdf): Did forest islands drive the diversity of warningly coloured butterflies? Biotic drift and the shifting balance. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. (B) 351, 835-845.

### Plants associated with *Heliconius*: Passifloraceae and Cucurbitaceae

- Killip, EP. (1938): The American Species of Passifloraceae. Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History, Botanical Series 19:1-163
- Killip, EP. (1941): Passifloraceae. In: Flora of Suriname (Pulle, A., ed.), 306-327.
- [Killip, EP. (1941)](https://jamesmallet.github.io/lit/killip%201941%20passifloraceae.pdf): Passifloraceae. Passionflower family. In: Flora of Peru (ed. MacBride, JF). Field Museum of Natural History, Botanical Series 13, Part IV, No. 1:91-132.

### Lepidoptera other than *Heliconius*

- [General information about New World Tropical Lepidoptera](/butterflies)
- [Ithomiinae](https://jamesmallet.github.io/ithinf.htm)

### Mimicry, warning colour, aposematism

- [Mimicry, warning colour, aposematism](https://jamesmallet.github.io/Mim/mimicry.html)

### Portraits

- [Portraits of evolutionists and entomologists](/portraits)



 

   ![helicprint.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum6606/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/malletlab/files/helicprint.jpg?itok=zqklXBKk)