Sapho Longwing (Heliconius sapho), which belongs to the family Heliconidae, is a beautiful butterfly with iridescent blue colors and a variety of white bands on upper wings and a wingspan of 38-42 mm. The origin of Sapho Longwing is Costa Rica, but it is widespread in Central America and Northwestern South America to Ecuador, to the west of the Andes. Adults can be seen in the canopy of dense forests to 2,000 m sea level. They roost in large groups over water on twigs or tendrils.
The Sapho Longwing caterpillars are feeding on any species of Passion Vine in family Passifloraceae, but in Costa Rica, they only feed on Passiflora pittieri and this may be the reason for their higher rate of extinction, compared to the other butterflies. Adults not only drink nectar but also eat pollen which prolongs their lifespan from days to weeks.