Morpho achilles
| Morpho achilles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Morpho |
| Species: | M. achilles |
| Binomial name | |
| Morpho achilles (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
The Achilles Morpho, Blue-banded Morpho, or Banded Blue Morpho (Morpho achilles) is a Neotropical butterfly.
Etymology
The genus name Morpho comes from the Greek epithet of Aphrodite, goddess of love. Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character of Homer's Iliad.
Description
In Morpho achilles the dorsal sides of the forewings are black, with two broad vertical bands of brilliant blue. The underside of the hindwings is olive-brownish, with several ocelli formed by blue, yellow, red, and red concentric rings.
Subspecies
- Morpho achilles achilles (Linnaeus, 1758) – Brazil, Surinam, and Guyana
- Morpho achilles agamedes Fruhstorfer, 1912 – Peru
- Morpho achilles fischeri Weber, 1962 – Peru
- Morpho achilles glaisi Le Moult & Réal, 1962 – Venezuela
- Morpho achilles guaraunos Le Moult, 1925 – Venezuela
- Morpho achilles guerrerensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
- Morpho achilles patroclus C. & R. Felder, 1861 – Colombia
- Morpho achilles phokylides Fruhstorfer, 1912 – Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil
- Morpho achilles theodorus Fruhstorfer, 1907 – Ecuador
- Morpho achilles vitrea Butler, 1866 – Bolivia
Biology
The caterpillars feed on various species of climbing plants (Dalbergia, Inga, Machaerium, Machaerium aculeatum, Myrocarpus, Platymiscium, Pterocarpus) while the adults mainly feed on rotting fruits or fermenting juice and tree sap.
Distribution
This species can be found over a huge range of countries, particularly in Argentina, Suriname, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Brazil.
Gallery
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Ventral view
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Dorsal view
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Museum specimen from Mato Grosso, Brazil
See also
References
- Le Moult (E.) & Réal (P.), 1962-1963. Les Morpho d'Amérique du Sud et Centrale, Editions du cabinet entomologique E. Le Moult, Paris.
- Paul Smart, 1976 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World in Color.London, Salamander:Encyclopedie des papillons. Lausanne, Elsevier Sequoia (French language edition)ISBN 9780948427046 ISBN 0600313816 page 236 fig. 5 as patroclus ssp. orestes Weber, underside (Peru), page 237 fig. 9 (Brazil), page 237 fig. 12as patroclus ssp. orestes Weber, upperside (Peru).
External links
- Butterflies of America Images of type and other specimens
- NRM Holotype of Morpho achilles roqueensis Bryk, 1953.
- Funetfi
- Blue Banded Morpho