Morpho (genus)
Morpho butterfly | |
---|---|
Morpho didius, museum specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Nymphalidae |
Tribe: | Morphini |
Genus: | Morpho Fabricius, 1807 |
Type species | |
Morpho achilles | |
Diversity | |
c. 29 species and 150 subspecies | |
Synonyms | |
|
The morpho butterflies comprise many species of
Taxonomy and nomenclature
Many names attach to the genus Morpho. The genus has also been divided into subgenera. Hundreds of form, variety, and aberration names are used among Morpho species and subspecies. One
Etymology
The genus name Morpho comes from an Ancient Greek epithet μορφώ, roughly "the shapely one", for Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.
Species
This list is arranged alphabetically within
Subgenus Iphimedeia
- Species group hercules
- Morpho amphitryon Staudinger, 1887
- Morpho hercules (Dalman, 1823) – Hercules morpho
- Morpho richardus Fruhstorfer, 1898 – Richard's morpho
- Species group hecuba
- Morpho cisseis C. Felder & R. Felder, 1860 – Cisseis morpho
- Morpho hecuba(Linnaeus, 1771) – sunset morpho
- Species group telemachus
- Morpho telemachus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Morpho theseus Deyrolle, 1860 – Theseus morpho
Subgenus Iphixibia
- Morpho anaxibia (Esper, 1801)
Subgenus Cytheritis
- Species group sulkowskyi
- Morpho sulkowskyi – Sulkowsky's morpho
- Species group lympharis
- Morpho lympharis Butler, 1873 – Lympharis morpho
- Species group rhodopteron
- Morpho rhodopteron Godman & Salvin, 1880
- Species group portis
- Morpho portis (Hübner, [1821])
- Morpho thamyris C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867 – Thamyris morpho – or as a subspecies of M. portis
- Species group zephyritis
- Morpho zephyritis Butler, 1873 – Zephyritis morpho
- Species group aega
- Morpho aega (Hübner, [1822]) – Aega morpho
- Species group adonis
- Morpho eugenia Deyrolle, 1860 – Empress Eugénie morpho
- Morpho marcus(Cramer, 1775)
- Morpho uraneis Bates, 1865
Subgenus Balachowskyna
- Morpho aurora – Aurora morpho
Subgenus Cypritis
- Species group cypris
- Morpho cypris Westwood, 1851 – Cypris morpho
- Species group rhetenor
- Morpho helena Staudinger, 1890 – Helena blue morpho
- Morpho rhetenor (Cramer, [1775]) – Rhetenor blue morpho
Subgenus Pessonia
- Species group polyphemus
- Morpho luna Butler, 1869 or as subspecies Morpho polyphemus luna
- Morpho polyphemus Westwood, [1850] – (Polyphemus) white morpho
- Species group catenaria
- Morpho catenarius Perry, 1811 or as a subspecies of M. epistrophus
- Morpho epistrophus(Fabricius, 1796) – Epistrophus white morpho
- Morpho laertes (Drury, 1782) may be a synonym of M. epistrophus
Subgenus Crasseia
- Species group menelaus
- Morpho amathonte (Deyrolle, 1860) or as a subspecies of M. menelaus
- Morpho didius Hopffer, 1874 – giant blue morpho – or as a subspecies of M. menelaus
- Morpho godarti (Guérin-Méneville, 1844) – Godart's morpho – or as a subspecies of M. menelaus
- Morpho menelaus (Linnaeus, 1758) – Menelaus blue morpho
Subgenus Morpho
- Species group deidamia
- Morpho deidamia (Hübner, [1819]) – Deidamia morpho
- Morpho granadensis Felder and Felder, 1867 – Granada morpho – or as a subspecies of M. deidamia
- Species group helenor
- Morpho helenor (Cramer, 1776) – Helenor blue morpho or common blue morpho
- Morpho peleides Kollar, 1850 – Peleides blue morpho, common morpho, or the emperor
- Species group achilles
- Morpho achilles (Linnaeus, 1758) – Achilles morpho
Ungrouped:
- Morpho absoloni May, 1924
- Morpho athena Otero, 1966
- Morpho niepelti Röber, 1927
Coloration
Many morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blues and greens. These colors are not a result of
The iridescent lamellae are only present on the dorsal sides of their wings, leaving the ventral sides brown.
The ventral side is decorated with ocelli (eyespots). In some species, such as M. godarti, the dorsal lamellae are so thin that ventral ocelli can peek through. While not all morphos have iridescent coloration, they all have ocelli. In most species, only the males are colorful, supporting the theory that the coloration is used for intrasexual communication between males. The lamellae reflect up to 70% of light falling on them, including any ultraviolet. The eyes of morpho butterflies are thought to be highly sensitive to UV light, so the males are able to see each other from great distances. Some South American species are reportedly visible to the human eye up to one kilometer away.
Also, a number of other species exist which are tawny orange or dark brown (for instance
Celebrated author and lepidopterist Vladimir Nabokov described their appearance as "shimmering light-blue mirrors".[11]
Sexual dimorphism
The blue morpho species exhibit sexual dimorphism. In some species (for instance M.adonis, M. eugenia, M. aega, M. cypris, and M. rhetenor), only the males are iridescent blue; the females are disruptively colored brown and yellow. In other species (for instance M. anaxibia, M. godarti, M. didius, M. amathonte, and M. deidamia), the females are partially iridescent, but less blue than the males.
Habitat
Morpho butterflies inhabit the
. Morphos are found at altitudes between sea level and about 1,400 m (4,600 ft).Biology
- Morphos are diurnal, as males spend the mornings patrolling along the courses of forest streams and rivers. They are territorial and chase any rivals. Morphos typically live alone, excluding in the mating season.
- The genus Morpho is palatable, but some species (such as M. amathonte) are very strong fliers; birds—even species which are specialized for catching butterflies on the wing—find it very hard to catch them.[12] The conspicuous blue coloration shared by most Morpho species may be a case of Müllerian mimicry,[13] or may be 'pursuit aposematism'.[14]
- The eyespots on the undersides of the wings of both males and females may be a form of automimicry in which a spot on the body of an animal resembles an eye of a different animal to deceive potential predator or prey species, to draw a predator's attention away from the most vulnerable body parts, or to appear as an inedible or even dangerous animal.[15]
- Predators include royal flycatchers, jacamars and other insectivorous birds, frogs, and lizards.
Behavior
Morphos have a very distinctive, slow, bouncy flight pattern due to the wing area being enormous relative to the body size.
Life cycle
The entire life cycle of the morpho butterfly, from egg to death, is about 115 days.
The larvae hatch from pale-green, dewdrop-like eggs. The caterpillars have reddish-brown bodies with bright lime-green or yellow patches on their backs. Its hairs are irritating to human skin, and when disturbed it secretes a fluid that smells like rancid butter from eversible glands on the thorax. The strong odor is a defense against predators. They feed on a variety of plants. The caterpillar molts five times before entering the pupal stage. The bulbous chrysalis is pale green or jade green and emits a repulsive, ultrasonic sound when touched.[16] It is suspended from a stem or leaf of the food plant.[17]
The adults live for about two to three weeks. They feed on the fluids of fermenting fruit, decomposing animals, tree sap, fungi, and nutrient-rich mud.[18] They are poisonous to predators due to toxins they sequestered from plants on which they fed as caterpillars.
The more common blue morphos are reared en masse in commercial breeding programs. The iridescent wings are used in the manufacture of
Host plants
Morpho larvae, variously according to species and region, feed on
.According to Penz and DeVries[4] the ancestral diet of larval Satyrinae is Poaceae or other monocots. Many morphos have switched to dicots on several occasions during their evolutionary history, but basal species have retained the monocot diets.
Collectors
Morpho butterflies, often very expensive, have always been prized by extremely wealthy collectors. Famous collections include those of the London jeweler
The people along the Rio Negro in Brazil once exploited the territorial habits of the blue morpho (M. menelaus) by luring them into clearings with bright blue decoys. The collected butterfly wings were used as embellishment for ceremonial masks. Adult morpho butterflies feed on the juices of fermenting fruit with which they may also be lured. The butterflies wobble in flight and are easy to catch.
Gallery
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M. didius – ventral side: Predatory birds aim their attack at the most prominent feature, the ocelli, missing the body entirely.
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M. peleides, note the symmetric notches left by a bird beak
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M. polyphemus, one of several "white morpho" species
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M. rhetenor – this museum specimen is used for education, but thousands are killed for domestic displays, sold to tourists or in gift shops.
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M. richardus sunning itself for warmth
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M. hecuba, the largest morpho, with a wingspan of up to 20 cm (7.9 in)
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M. hecuba size comparison with M. thamyris (M. portis)
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The closed wings of this morpho butterfly are damaged, allowing some of the blue to show.
Illustrations
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Maria Sibylla Merian Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium 1705
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Pieter Cramer and Caspar Stoll De Uitlandsche Kapellen 1775–1782
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Pieter Cramer and Caspar Stoll De Uitlandsche Kapellen 1775–1782
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George Shaw and Frederick Polydore NodderThe Naturalist's Miscellany 1789–1813
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Hübner Sammlung exotischer Schmetterlinge Augsburg [1806-1841]
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Hippolyte Lucas Histoire Naturelle des Lepidopteres Exotiques Paris,1835.
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Cajetan and Rudolf FelderReise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859
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Frederick DuCane Godman and Osbert Salvin Biologia Centrali-Americana 1879–1915
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Adalbert Seitz Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 1860–1938
See also
- List of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions (Neotropical)
- Tropical Andes
- Arhopala
References
- ^ Le Moult, E.; Réal, P. (1962–63). Les Morpho d'Amérique du Sud et Centrale. Paris: Editions du cabinet entomologique E. Le Moult.
- ^ "Blue Morpho Butterfly". Blue Morpho Butterfly. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ISBN 0-945417-28-4
- ^ S2CID 55554335.
- ^ sv:Morpho Species 2000 and Itis[circular reference]
- ^ Savela, Markku. "Morpho Fabricius, 1807". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- PMID 26324320.
- PMC 1690093. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-16.
- PMID 23787623.
- ^ http://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC1560023&blobtype=pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ISBN 9780307907875.
- S2CID 25970574.
- .
- ISBN 0-582-44132-3. On pp. 255–256 there is a discussion of 'pursuit aposematism': "Young suggested that the brilliant blue colours and bobbing flight of Morpho butterflies may induce pursuit... Morpho amathonte is a very fast flier... It is possible that birds that have chased several unsuccessfully may learn not to pursue butterflies of that [type]... In one area, Young found that 80% of less brilliant species of Morpho had beak marks on their wings... but none out of 31 M. amathonte." .. "If brilliant colour was a factor in courtship, then the conflicting selection pressures of sexual selection and predator selection might lead to different results in quite closely related species."
- S2CID 24868603.
- ^ Nussbaum, Greg. Blue Morpho
- ^ Fruhstorfer, H. (1913). "Family: Morphidae", pp. 333–356 in A. Seitz (editor), Macrolepidoptera of the World, vol. 5. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen.
- ^ Blue Morpho Butterfly (Morpho peleides). Rainforest Alliance. Retrieved on 2011-10-17.
Further reading
- Bilotta, I (1992). "Morfologia comparada da cabeça das especies sulbrasileiras de Morphinae (Lepidoptera,Nymphalidae)". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 9 (3–4): 261–271. .
- Bilotta, I (1994). "Morfologia comparada do torax das especies sulbrasileiras de Morphinae (Lepidoptera,Nymphalidae)". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 11 (4): 691–713. .
- Bilotta, I (1994). "Morfologia comparada do abdome das especies sulbrasileiras de Morphinae(Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 11 (4): 737–748. .
- Blandin, P. (2007). The Systematics of the Genus Morpho, Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Hillside Books, Canterbury.
- Blandin, P. (1988). The genus Morpho, Lepidoptera Nymphalidae. Part 1. The subgenera Iphimedeia and Schwartzia. Sciences Nat, Venette.
- Blandin, P. (1993). The genus Morpho, Lepidoptera Nymphalidae. Part 2. The subgenera Iphixibia, Cytheritis, Balachowskyna, and Cypritis. Sciences Nat, Venette.
- Blandin, P. (2007). The genus Morpho, Lepidoptera Nymphalidae. Part 3. The Subgenera Pessonia, Grasseia and Morpho and Addenda to Parts 1 & 2. Hillside Books, Canterbury. Blandin The genus Morpho. Pt. 3.
- Fruhstorfer, H. (1912–1913). 6. Familie: Morphidae in Seitz, A. Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde (The Macrolepidoptera of the World) Erde 5: 333–344 (31 May 1912),: 345–352 (5 June 1913),: 353–356 (8 July 1913).[1]
- Penz, C.M.; DeVries, P.J. (2002). "Phylogenetic analysis of Morpho butterflies (Nymphalidae, Morphinae): implications for classification and natural history" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (3374): 1–33. S2CID 55554335. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2014-03-15.
- Schäffler, Oliver and Frankenbach, Thomas. (2009). Schmetterlinge der Erde Part 30, Nymphalidae XV: Morpho I Keltern: Goecke & Evers ISBN 978-3-937783-44-4includes Morpho niepelti and M. theseus.
- Schäffler, Oliver and Frankenbach,Thomas, (2010). Schmetterlinge der Erde Part 33, Nymphalidae XVIII: Morpho II Keltern: Goecke & Evers ISBN 978-3-937783-49-9Includes M. hercules, M. richardus, M. telemachus, M. amphitryon, M. hecuba, and M. cisseis.
- Takahashi, Mayumi. (1973). Notes on the genus Morpho (Lepidoptera: Morphidae) collected in the Santa Marta mountains, Colombia, South America. Tyô to Ga 24(4): 107–111, 26 figs.[general; ecology; behavior]
- Young, Allen M (1979). "The evolution of eyespots in tropical butterflies in response to feeding on rotting fruit: an hypothesis". Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 87 (1): 66–77.
- Young, A.M.; Muyshondt, A. (1972). "Geographical and ecological expansion in tropical butterflies of the genus Morpho in evolutionary time". Revista de Biología Tropical. 20: 231–264.
- Young, A.M. (1975). "Feeding behavior of Morpho butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Morphinae) in a seasonal tropical environment". Revista de Biología Tropical. 23: 101–132.
External links
- Data related to Morpho at Wikispecies
- Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Morpho". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- EOL Taxonomy and images
- Butterflies of America Superb collection of scientific specimen photographs. Many of types