Insects · La Saladita, Guerrero

Red Postman

Heliconius erato

Spanish: Cartero rojo

Heliconius erato, or the red postman, is one of about 40 neotropical species of butterfly belonging to the genus Heliconius. It is also commonly known as the small postman, the red passion flower butterfly, or the crimson-patched longwing. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

TaxonomyInsecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae

Local records63 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records16,174 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2026 – 2026

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2026-07-17 — observation by adrian_mora
2026-07-17 — observation by mora17918
2026-07-13 — observation by lizvazquez
2026-06-27 — observation by mora17918
2026-04-26 — observation by naturazihua-24
2026-03-23 — observation by madsdemers

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Insects guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Red Postman (Heliconius erato) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/heliconius-erato/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.