''Heliconius nattereri'' (Natterer's longwing) is a species of
butterfly
Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
in the family
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species ha ...
. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the
Atlantic forest of
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
.
The butterfly has been found in the
Feliciano Miguel Abdala Private Natural Heritage Reserve
Feliciano Miguel Abdala Private Natural Heritage Reserve (), formerly the Fazenda Montes Claros and then the Caratinga Biological Station, is a privately owned sustainable-use protected area in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
It contains an ex ...
in the state of
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
.
The wings of the female ''H. nattereri'' are black, orange, and yellow in color, while the male wings are a black and yellow pattern. Males tend to fly faster and congregate in the canopy, while females fly slower and stay in the middle story.
The ''H. nattereri'' species is currently listed as endangered. This is due to their unique habitat which is currently being invaded by humans and activities such as deforestation.
References
{{Heliconiinae-stub