Body size of four species of butterflies of the genus Heliconius (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) produced in Costa Rica Caribbean butterfly farms". Introduction: The production of butterflies is an important socioeconomic activity and has become an option to generate income for rural microenterprises. Objective: To see how farming affects the body size of Heliconius butteflies in Costa Rican farms. Methods: We measured adults and pupae of Heliconius cydno, H. erato, H. hecale and H. melpomene in 10 butterfly farms, in the Huetar Atlantic Region of Costa Rica. Results: In some farms, adult Heliconius erato and H. hecale are heavier (p≤ 0.05), and have a longer abdomen and larger forewings. The weight did not differ among farms, and the sex ratio is close to 1:1. Conclusion: All farms sampled produce butterflies of fit for commercialization.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.