Halloween Butterflies

Ever notice how many of the butterflies in the Tropical Butterfly House look alike? Why are so many species orange and black? There’s a good reason. Many species of butterflies have evolved to resemble the appearance of other species. This is called mimicry and in the lepidopteran world it can be a matter of life and death. (Cue the spooky music).


Protective mimicry in butterflies is generally divided into two categories. Batesian mimics are palatable to vertebrate predators. They are not toxic but mimic toxic species to repulse would be predators. Müllerian mimics are noxious and have coevolved with other species to look similar to each other. This helps predators to recognize and avoid them.

One of the most famous examples of mimicry in nature is found in the Tiger Complex of butterflies. We are fortunate to exhibit a number of these species in the Tropical Butterfly House. The Mullerian mimics include Lycorea cleobaea, Mechanitis polymnia,and Tithorea harmonia. Our Batesian species includes Heliconius ismenius, Consul fabius, and Eueides Isabella.

So how does mimicry work? Think back to a time when you had food poisoning? Did you ever want to eat that food again? The same thing happens to butterfly predators. Predators won’t risk eating something that looks like the thing that made them sick. Food aversion is one of the strongest learning tools.


The photographs of Tiger Complex butterflies in the article are all different – or are they? Can you tell them apart? We can’t.

So remember next time you visit the Tropical Butterfly House: DON’T EAT THE BUTTERFLIES!