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Text and photographs
protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins
2007, and must not be published
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Butterflies of
the Amazon rainforest
Common Blue Morpho
Morpho helenor
CRAMER, 1776
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
MORPHINAE
Tribe - MORPHINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Morpho helenor,
Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
There
are 29 currently recognised species in the genus
Morpho.
Older
literature tends to list up to 80 species, but taxonomic research has concluded
that many of these are just subspecies or forms. The former "species"
achillaena,
montezuma,
peleides
and
telamon
for example are amongst the 30 taxa now listed by Lamas ( 2004 ) as subspecies
of
helenor.
It is a source of some amusement to lepidopterists, that the general public in
Latin America always refer to every one of the 29
Morpho
species as if they were just one creature - "the Blue Morpho".
The
butterfly is recognised by the broad bands of brilliant blue on the upperside,
and by the distinctive white, black, yellow and red concentric rings which form
the ocelli on the underside hindwings. The size of these ocelli, and the width
of the blue bands on the upperside, varies considerably.
The bouncy zigzag flight of this saucer-sized butterfly is unmistakeable.
Males patrol back and forth along the courses of streams in the dappled sunlight of their forest habitats. They are most active in the mornings, and spend the afternoons either mud-puddling at peccary wallows, or sitting motionless on foliage in light gaps.
Females, which are recognised by the wider dark borders on the uppersides, are seen far less frequently, usually only in late morning, when they fly along trails, resting regularly amongst vegetation.
Both sexes close their wings immediately upon landing, but periodically flick them open to give the briefest glimpse of the dazzling blue upperside. This behaviour is most pronounced in mud-puddling males, which repeatedly flicker their wings as they hop about on the ground seeking dissolved minerals.
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation. Website designed, produced and owned by Adrian Hoskins |