wingspan : normally 69/75 mm, but one male 59 mm
Heliconius hierax flies only in the Oriente (Southern half of Colombia and Ecuador, all the way to the Peruvian border), between 700 and 2000 meters (Holzinger 1994, Neil Rosser 2010) ; it is an uncommon species. found North of Mera, at el Topo, at Cashaurco and el Corral, from 1200 to 1400 m.
it was a surprise to find it at 1800 m in the rìo Paute valley.
the amount of red on the FW varies a lot, and there is no red at all on the types illustrated on butterfliesofamerica.
