Morpho helenor

Morpho helenor, also known as the Helenor blue morpho or common blue morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly found throughout Central and South America from Mexico to Argentina. It is a species group that may or may not be several species. Many subspecies have been described.

Biology

The larvae of subspecies Morpho helenor achillaena have been recorded as feeding on Genipa americana, Inga, Machaerium, Platymiscium, Wisteria, Trifolium, Arachis and Robinia.

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically:

• M. h. achillaena (Hübner, [1823])
• M. h. achillides C. & R. Felder, 1867
• M. h. anakreon Fruhstorfer, 1910
• M. h. charapensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
• M. h. coelestis Butler, 1866
• M. h. cortone Fruhstorfer, 1913
• M. h. corydon Guenée, 1859
• M. h. guerrerensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
• M. h. helenor (Cramer, 1776)
• M. h. insularis Fruhstorfer, 1912
• M. h. leontius C. & R. Felder, 1867
• M. h. macrophthalmus Fruhstorfer, 1913
• M. h. maculata Röber, 1903
• M. h. marajoensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
• M. h. marinita Butler, 1872
• M. h. montezuma Guenée, 1859
• M. h. narcissus Staudinger, 1887
• M. h. octavia Bates, 1864
• M. h. papirius Hopffer, 1874
• M. h. peleides Kollar, 1850 now also described in Morpho peleides
• M. h. peleus Röber, 1903
• M. h. pindarus Fruhstorfer, 1910
• M. h. popilius Hopffer, 1874
• M. h. rugitaeniatus Fruhstorfer, 1907
• M. h. telamon Röber, 1903
• M. h. theodorus Fruhstorfer, 1907
• M. h. tucupita Le Moult, 1925
• M. h. ululina Le Moult & Réal, 1962
• M. h. violaceus Fruhstorfer, 1912
• M. h. zonaras Fruhstorfer, 1912

Gallery

• Plate from Adalbert Seitz. Top left are Morpho helenor limpidus Butler, 1872, from Costa Rica and Morpho helenor hyacinthus Butler, 1866, from Honduras.
  Plate from Adalbert Seitz. Top left are Morpho helenor limpidus Butler, 1872, from Costa Rica and Morpho helenor hyacinthus Butler, 1866, from Honduras.
• Morpho helenor achilleana
  Morpho helenor achilleana
• Morpho helenor hector
  Morpho helenor hector
• Morpho helenor marinita
  Morpho helenor marinita
• Morpho helenor octavia
  Morpho helenor octavia
• Morpho helenor papirius
  Morpho helenor papirius
• Morpho helenor pindarus
  Morpho helenor pindarus
• Morpho helenor peleides Panama
  Morpho helenor peleides
  Panama
• Morpho helenor peleides Panama
  Morpho helenor peleides
  Panama

Morpho helenor helenor

• Morpho helenor helenor, male, dorsal - MHNT
  Morpho helenor helenor, male, dorsal - MHNT
• Morpho helenor helenor male, ventral - MHNT
  Morpho helenor helenor male, ventral - MHNT
• Morpho helenor helenor, female, dorsal - MHNT
  Morpho helenor helenor, female, dorsal - MHNT
• Morpho helenor helenor, female, ventral - MHNT
  Morpho helenor helenor, female, ventral - MHNT
• Morpho helenor helenor
  Morpho helenor helenor

References

• Le Moult (E.) & Réal (P.) (1962-1963). Les Morpho d'Amérique du Sud et Centrale, Editions du cabinet entomologique E. Le Moult, Paris.
• Smart, Paul (1976). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World in Color. London, Salamander: Encyclopedie des papillons. Lausanne, Elsevier Sequoia (French language edition). Template:ISBN Template:ISBN page 237 fig. 6 as hyacinthus (Mexico), fig. 8 as montezuma Guen, underside (Honduras), page 237 fig. 10 as achillaena f. violacea Fruhstorfer, underside (Brazil), fig. 11 as achillaena f. violacea Fruhstorfer, upperside (Brazil)

External links

• "Morpho Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
• Butterflies of America Images of type and other specimens.
• Taxonomy Browser Upperside and underside photographs.

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