Wallace's Longwing vs Puerto Rican Harlequin Butterfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Wallace's Longwing Puerto Rican Harlequin Butterfly
Scientific Name Heliconius wallacei Atlantea tulita
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Nymphalidae
Size 60-72 mm wingspan 35-45 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Nectar Feeders Herbivores
Regions South America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador) Puerto Rico
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Wallace's Longwing

A relatively rare Heliconius species with dark wings marked by a distinctive yellow band on the forewing and red patches at the base of the hindwing. Named after the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. It is primarily found in western Amazonian forests.

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Did You Know?

Named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who independently conceived the theory of evolution by natural selection while studying insects in South America and Southeast Asia.

Puerto Rican Harlequin Butterfly

A small endangered butterfly endemic to Puerto Rico with orange and black checkered wings. It inhabits moist limestone forests in the northern karst region.

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Did You Know?

Fewer than a few hundred individuals are believed to remain in the wild.