Co-evolution between Heliconius erato and host plants Females typically carry larger loads of pollen than males as females require more amino acids for egg production. erato is then able to extract nitrogenous compounds in a clear liquid, including amino acids like arginine, leucine, lysine, valine, proline, histidine, isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and tryptophan. They then agitate the pollen by coiling and uncoiling their proboscis in order to release its nutrients. Instead, they collect pollen in a mass on the ventral side of their proboscis. They do not spend much time or energy collecting nectar (only remaining for a few seconds). erato is a pollen-feeding species, collecting from the Lantana camara flower. After they have exhausted the resources of the plant they have hatched on, later instars may move to another plant. Larvae feed on the host plant, first consuming the terminal bud. erato collecting pollen from Lantana camara Caterpillars erato rarely travels to neighboring home ranges. In areas of dense population in Trinidad, some home ranges are only separated by 30 yards, but H. It is philopatric, having a particularly restricted home range. erato is a neotropical species, found from southern Texas to northern Argentina and Paraguay, and resides on the edges of tropical rainforests. Recent field work has confirmed the relative abundance of this butterfly. It also has a unique mating ritual involving the transfer of anti-aphrodisiacs from males to females. erato exhibits Müllerian mimicry with other Heliconius butterflies such as Heliconius melpomene in order to warn common predators against attacking, which contributes to its surprising longevity. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is also commonly known as the small postman, the red passion flower butterfly, or the crimson-patched longwing. Heliconius erato, or the red postman, is one of about 40 neotropical species of butterfly belonging to the genus Heliconius.
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