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Morpho

 first update  d.  3 january  2005

  last update d. 28 november 2024

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The beautiful blue Morphos males are often seen along rivers and small streams, where they fly searching for ladies and is territorale and chasing other males away. Morphos go to rotten fruit and suck minerals in sandy banks along streams. Females live a more covert lives up the leaves, and are rarely seen. Morphos habitat is the rain-forests of the tropical zone, however individual species such as Morpho lympharis existence from 2000 m.a. up to 2900 m. altitude in fog-forests in the Andes eastern slopes.

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Morpho lympharis eros

Cascades de Sacremento Alto, el camino de la muerte, trip from Esmeralda Hotel, Coroico 2000 m., Yungas, Bolivia d. 6 jauary 2005. Photographer: Lars AndersenEn Morpho lympharis fra Yungas, tæt på at blive ramt af microbus på vejen imellem Yolosa og Unduarvi i 2600 m.h.Januar 2005. Fotograf: Lars AndersenMorpho lympharis. På vejen imellem Yolosa og Unduarvi i 2600 m.h. Den er lidt ør efter hårdhændet behandling! Efter nogen tid fløj den igen. d. 3 Januar 2005. Fotograf: Lars Andersen

Mountains Morpho or Lympharis Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).
Cascades de Sacramento Alto, Camino de Muerte 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia d. 3 - 6 january 2005.
Photographer; Lars Andersen

Camino de Muerte elev. 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia d.  9 February 2012. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Cascades de Sacramento Alto, Camino de Muerte 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia d. 9 february 2012.Photographer; Lars Andersen

Locality for Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2300 m. 1 February 2010. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Mountain Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).
The dangerous road in the world; Cascades de Sacramento elev. 2790 m. & Kori Wayku Inca Trail, elev. 2300 m. Yungas, Bolivia
Photographer; Peter Møllmann & Lars Andersen

Camino de Muerte, Cascades de Sacramento Alto, elev. 2600 m. d.  9 February 2012. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Morpho lympharis locality with Andean bamboo, Chusquea species.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto 2600m. Yungas 9 February 2012. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Cloudy mountainforest,Morpho sulkowskyi locality. Cascades de Sacramento, Yungas. d. 22  February 2008. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892). Locality with Andean bamboo, Chusquea species.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto 2600m. Yungas 22 February 2008. Photographer; Lars Andersen

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The blue Morphos (Morphini) is the most famous butterflies from South America, often large up to 20 cm. in wingspan when Morpho hecuba is the largest butterflies in the neotropical continent. There are also Morphos down to 7.5 cm in size of M. sulkowskyi & M. aurora, small species typically found in higher altitudes of the Andes east slopes.

Most species have an iridescent blue color on top. The blue color on the upper side due to refraction of light in the delicate tight scales which lack color pigment scales sits right advanced so they can display the entire color scale in a few moments when the light is broken at the right angle. The underside is often in brown shades, bearing Eyed in various sizes that reveal their family connection to Satyr family (Satyrinae).

There are also white Morphos; (M. epistrophus & M. polyphemus) and Morphos; brown with gray or orange bands on the upper side (M. Hecuba & M. Telemachus).

The origin of Morphinae dates back about 55 MY and occurred in the Brazilian Shield (Mata Atlantica), the oldest part of Sout America that emerged. Considering the length of the evolutionary period, the number of species of Morpho (30) proves quite limited, especially if one considers the immense size of their geographical distribution. This small number contrast with the considerable number of subspecies: at last 220.

The single species Morpho helenor has branched out into 48 subspecies spread from Tamaulipas, Mexico's east coast, Central America, Amazonian basin to northern Argentina. The diversity of subspecies is due, to a large extent, to the fact that Morpho are not migratoryThe morpho butterflies comprise many species of Neotropical butterfly under the genus Morpho. This genus includes more than 29 accepted species and 147 accepted subspecies, found mostly in South America, Mexico, and Central America.
Morpho wingspans range from
7.5 cm for M. rhodopteron to
20 cm for M. hecuba, the imposing sunset morpho.

The name morpho, meaning "changed" or "modified", is also an epithet. Blue morphos are severely threatened by the deforestation of tropical forests and habitat fragmentation. Humans provide a direct threat to this genus because their beauty attracts artists and collectors from all over the globe who wish to capture and display them. Aside from humans, birds like the jacamar and flycatcher are the adult butterfly’s natural predators.

Satyrinae

Subfamilia
Satyrinae (Boisduval, 1833). 2400 spcies.
Tribus Elymniini Herrich-Schäffer, 1864 6 Species
Tribus Amathusiini Moore, 1894 11 Species
Tribus Brassolini Boisduval?, 1836 86 Species
Tribus
Morphini Newman, 1834 3 Tribe, 48 Species
Genus
Antirrhea  Hübner, [1822]  13 species
Genus
Morpho Fabricius, 1807 30 Species
Genus
Caerois  Hübner, [1819] 2 species
Tribus Melanitini Reuter, 1896 5 Species
Tribus Haeterini Herrich-Schäffer, 1864 24 Species
Tribus Satyrini Boisduval, 1833  Species.

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In South and Central America, I have seen 13 species of 48 species Morphini genus contained in the neotropiske region: Antirrhea (13) Caerois (2) Morpho (30). Their distribution is from Mexico north to Misiones, Argentina in the south. Link to Morphini genus of Butterfliesofamerica.com..

Bolivian Morphini species: Antirrhea (6) Caerois (1) Morpho (17)

  Subfamilia Satyrinae (Boisduval, 1833). Butterfliesofamerica.com.
  Tribus Morphini (Newman, 1834). 3 Tribe, 45 Species. Butterfliesofamerica.com.
  Genus Antirrhea  (Hübner, 1822). 13 species. Butterfliesofamerica.com.
1 Antirrhea adoptiva (Weymer, 1909). TL: Colombia M T.
2 Antirrhea archaea (Hübner, 1822). iN.
3 Antirrhea geryon (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862). iN.
4 Antirrhea hela (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862). iN M T.
5 Antirrhea ornata (A. Butler, 1870). iN M T.
6 Antirrhea phasiana (A. Butler, 1870). iN M T S.
7 Antirrhea philoctetes (Linnaeus, 1758). iN.
8 Antirrhea philaretes (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862). iN. Common Brown M0rpho.
9 Antirrhea ulei (Strand, 1912). iN.
10 Antirrhea pterocopha (Salvin & Godman, 1868). Brilliant Antirrhea iN.
11 Antirrhea taygetina (A. Butler, 1868). iN.
12 Antirrhea undulata (M. Hering & Hopp, 1925) iN M T.
13 Antirrhea watkinsi (Rosenberg & Talbot, 1914). TL: Peru M T S.
   
  Genus Morpho (Fabricius, 1807). 30 Species. Butterfliesofamerica.com.
  Subgenus Iphimedeia
  Species group hercules
14 Morpho amphitryon (Staudinger, 1887).
15 Morpho hercules (Dalman, 1823) – Hercules morpho
16 Morpho richardus (Fruhstorfer, 1898) – Richard's morpho
  Species group hecuba
17 Morpho cisseis (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1860) – Cisseis Morpho.
18 Morpho hecuba (Linnaeus, 1771) – Sunset Morpho.
  Species group telemachus
19 Morpho telemachus (Linnaeus, 1758). - Telemachus Morpho.
20 Morpho theseus (Deyrolle, 1860). – Theseus Morpho.
  Subgenus Iphixibia
21 Morpho anaxibia (Esper, 1801).
  Subgenus Cytheritis
  Species group sulkowskyi
22 Morpho sulkowskyi (Kollar, 1850). – Sulkowsky's Morpho.
  Species group lympharis
23 Morpho lympharis (Butler, 1873). – Lympharis Morpho.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).
  Species group rhodopteron
25 Morpho rhodopteron (Godman & Salvin, 1880).
  Species group portis
25 Morpho portis (Hübner, 1821).
  Morpho portis ssp. thamyris (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867). – Thamyris Morpho.
  Species group zephyritis
26 Morpho zephyritis (Butler, 1873). – Zephyritis Morpho.
  Species group aega
27 Morpho aega (Hübner, 1822) – Aega Morpho.
  Species group adonis
28 Morpho eugenia (Deyrolle, 1860). – Empress Eugénie Morpho.
29 Morpho marcus (Cramer, 1775).
30 Morpho uraneis (Bates, 1865).
  Subgenus Balachowskyna
31 Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851). – Aurora Morpho.
  Subgenus Cypritis
  Species group cypris
32 Morpho cypris (Westwood, 1851). – Cypris Morpho.
  Species group rhetenor
33 Morpho rhetenor (Cramer, [1775]) – Rhetenor Blue Morpho.
  Morpho rhetenor ssp. helena (Staudinger, 1890). – Helena Blue Morpho. TL: Peru M T.
  Subgenus Pessonia
  Species group polyphemus
34 Morpho polyphemus (Westwood, 1850). – Polyphemus -White Morpho.
  Morpho polyphemus ssp. luna (A. Butler, 1869).
  Species group catenaria
35 Morpho epistrophus (Fabricius, 1796) – Epistrophus White Morpho.
  Morpho epistrophus ssp. catenaria (Perry, 1811).
  Syn.: of Morpho laertes (Drury, 1782) may be a synonym of M. epistrophus.
  Subgenus Crasseia
  Species group menelaus
36 Morpho menelaus (Linnaeus, 1758) – Menelaus Blue Morpho.
  Morpho menelaus ssp. didius (Hopffer, 1874). – Giant Blue Morpho.
  Morpho menelaus ssp. godarti (Guérin-Méneville, 1844). – Godart's Morpho.
37 Morpho amathonte (Deyrolle, 1860). - Amathonte Morpho. 
  Subgenus Morpho
  Species group deidamia
38 Morpho deidamia (Hübner, 1819). – Deidamia Morpho.
  Morpho dedamia ssp. granadensis (Felder and Felder, 1867). – Granada Morpho.
  Species group helenor
39 Morpho helenor (Cramer, 1776) – Helenor Blue Morpho or Common Blue Morpho.
  Morpho helenor ssp. coelestis (A. Butler, 1866). – Common Blue Morpho.
  Morpho helenor ssp. peleides (Kollar, 1850). – Peleides Blue Morpho or the Emperor.
  Species group achilles
40 Morpho achilles (Linnaeus, 1758). – Achilles Morpho.
  Ungrouped:
41 Morpho absoloni (May, 1924).
42 Morpho athena (Otero, 1966).
43 Morpho niepelti (Röber, 1927).
   
  Genus Caerois  (Hübner, 1819). 2 species. Butterfliesofamerica.com.
44 Caerois chorinaeus (Fabricius, 1775). TL: Surinam M T HS.
45 Caerois gerdrudtus (Fabricius, 1793). False Antirrhea. Costa Rica to W Ecuador iN M S L I1 I2.
   
  I Bolivia har jeg set 12 arter af de 45 arter Morphini genus der findes i den neotropiske region: Antirrhea (13), Caerois (2), Morpho (30). Deres udbredelse er fra Mexico i nord til Misiones, Argentina i syd. Link til Morphini genus på Bolivian Butterflies Checklist.
  Subgenus Deyrollia (Cassildé & Blandin, 2010):
1 Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Schaller, 1785).
  Subgenus Iphimedeia (Fruhstorfer, 1912):
2 Morpho hercules ssp. hercules (Dalman, 1823)
3 Morpho telemachus ssp. telemachus (Linnaeus, 1758).
  Morpho telemachus ssp. exsusarion (Le Moult & Réal, 1962).
4 Morpho theseus ssp. theseus (Deyrolle, 1860).
5 Morpho amphitryon ssp. susarion (Fruhstorfer, 1912).
  Subgenus Laurschwartzia (Blandin, 2007):
6 Morpho hecuba ssp. obidonus (Fruhstorfer, 1905)? Caranavi, 2006: Lars
7 Morpho cisseis ssp. cisseis (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1860).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. phanodemus (Hewitson, 1869).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. cissaistrica (Le Moult & Réal, 1962).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. cabrera (Blandin & Lamas, 2007).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. rondoniensis (Jongerling, 2010).
  Subgenus Megamede (Hübner, 1819):
8 Morpho rhetenor ssp. rhetenor (Cramer, 1775).
  Morpho rhetenor ssp. subtusmurina (Le Moult & Réal, 1962)
  Morpho rhetenor ssp. tello (Blandin, 2007)
  Genus Morpho (Fabricius, 1807):
9 Morpho achilles ssp. achilles (Linnaeus, 1758).
  Morpho achilles ssp. vitrea (A. Butler, 1866).
  Morpho achilles ssp. agamedes (Fruhstorfer, 1912).
  Morpho achilles ssp. patrolus (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1861).
  Morpho achilles ssp. phokylides (Fruhstorfer, 1912).
  Morpho achilles ssp. songo (Weber, 1944).
10 Morpho helenor ssp. helenor (Cramer, 1776).
  Morpho helenor ssp. achillaena (Hübner, 1823).
  Morpho helenor ssp. achillides (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867).
  Morpho helenor ssp. coelestis (A. Butler, 1866).
  Morpho helenor ssp. leontius (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867).
  Morpho helenor ssp. papirius (Hopffer, 1874).
  Morpho helenor ssp. peleides (Kollar, 1850).
  Morpho helenor ssp. pindarus (Fruhstorfer, 1910).
  Morpho helenor ssp. popilius (Hopffer, 1874).
  Morpho helenor ssp. prometa (Blandin & Gareca, 2011).
  Morpho helenor ssp. theodorus (Fruhstorfer, 1907).
  Morpho helenor ssp. rugitaeniatus (Fruhstorfer, 1907).
  Morpho helenor ssp. tucupita (Le Moult, 1925).
11 Morpho deidamia ssp. diomedes (Weber, 1944).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. electra (Röber, 1903).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. grambergi (Weber, 1944).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. neoptolemus (Wood, 1863).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. steinbachi (Le Moult & Réal, 1962).
  Subgenus Grasseia (Le Moult & Réal, 1962):
12 Morpho menelaus ssp. didius (Hopffer, 1874).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. occidentalis (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. terrestris (A. Butler, 1866).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. zischkei (H. Fischer, 1962).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii (Guérin-Méneville, 1844).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii f. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007). Cites Appendix III. Miljø- og Planlægningsudvalget 2011
  Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii f. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011).
  Subgenus Cytheritis (Le Moult & Réal, 1962):
13 Morpho sulkowskyi ssp. sulkowskyi (Kollar, 1850).
  Morpho sulkowskyi ssp. hoppiana (Niepelt, 1923).
  Morpho sulkowskyi ssp. (Kollar, 1850).
14 Morpho aurora ssp. aurora (Westwood, 1851).
  Morpho aurora ssp. auroreola (Fruhstorfer, 1913).
  Morpho aurora ssp. breyeri (Orfila, 1963).
15 Morpho lympharis (Butler, 1873). Butterfliesofamerica.com.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. lympharis (A. Butler, 1873). TL: Peru M T.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. descimokoenigi (Blandin, 1993). TL: Peru M T.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892). TL: Bolivia M T.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. stoffeli (Le Moult & Réal, 1962). TL: Peru.
16 Morpho zephyritis (Butler, 1873).
  Morpho zephyritis ssp. cesarsamensis (Blandin, 2007).
17 Morpho absoloni (E. May, 1924).
   
  Genus Caerois (Hübner, 1822):
18 Caerois chorinaeus chorinaeus (Fabricius, 1775),
  Caerois chorinaeus gerdrudtus (Fabricius, 1773),
   
  Genus Antirrhea (Hübner, 1822):
19 Antirrhea geryon geryon (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862).
  Antirrhea geryon geryonides (Weymer, 1909).
20 Antirrhea ornata (A. Butler, 1870).
21 Antirrhea phasiana (A. Butler, 1870).
22 Antirrhea philaretes ssp. philaretes (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862).
  Antirrhea philaretes ssp. avernus (Hopffer, 1874).
23 Antirrhea taygetina taygetina (A. Butler, 1868).
24 Antirrhea watkinsi (Rosenberg & Talbot, 1914).

I Bolivia har jeg set 12 arter af de 45 arter Morphini genus der findes i den neotropiske region: Antirrhea (13), Caerois (2), Morpho (30). Deres udbredelse er fra Mexico i nord til Misiones, Argentina i syd. Link til Morphini genus på Bolivian Butterflies Checklist.

Reference to:

Les Morpho

14th october 2016

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Yungas, Bolivia february 2007 - 2008- Photographer; Lars Andersen  and J. P. Christensen

Les Morpho: Distribution, diversification, behavior
Jean-Marc Gayman; Franck Merlier; Jacques Ouvaroff; Bruce Purser; Daniel Lacomme

Editor of
France Lépidoptéristes Association

On
Nouveautés Éditeurs the retail price (including VAT): £ 115

408 pages; 30.5 x 22 cm; joined
ISBN 978-2-9558531-0-8
EAN 9782955853108

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Foodplants for Morpho's

Females lay eggs on misc. legumes, Fabales, one of the largest systems in the plant kingdom with approx. 17,000 species belonging to one family, papilionaceous plants (Fabaceae, Leguminosae). The family consists of three sub-families; caesalpinia, mimose and legumes sub-family. In Families often considered previously as independent families. As the name says, is the fruit a pod. One of the most familiar legumes are Brazilwood. - The tree, which put its name to half the world ... (Leguminosae) - Brazilwood.

The smaller Morpho species from the Andean mountain like the Morpho aurora, M. lympharis and M. zephyrites use Andean bamboo, Chusquea species (Poaceae).

The hairy brown caterpillars that live in colonies are quite toxic, and their hair will irritate the skin when touched. The total life cycle of Morphos butterfly, from egg to death, is approximately 130 to 140 days. The adult (imago) butterflies live about a month's time. They exist in several consecutive generations offset from each other year round, but mostly in the rainy season. In drought time goes on they are often in a diapause. Morphos However, enemies, there is a parasitic fly that lives in the adult butterfly's abdomen, making it to had a strange behavior in its last life. Morphos, whose name was inspired by Morpheus who had dreams god in Greek mythology.

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Værtsplanter for Morpho's

Hunnen lægger æg på div. bælgplanter Fabales, en af de største ordener i planteriget med ca. 17.000 arter, der tilhører én familie, ærteblomstfamilien (Fabaceae, Leguminosae). Familien består af tre underfamilier; caesalpinia-, mimose- og ærtblomst-underfamilien. Underfamilierne betragtedes tidligere ofte som selvstændige familier. Som navnet siger, er frugten en bælg. En af de mest kendte bælgplanter er BRASILTRÆ. - Træet, der lagde navn til en halv verdensdel ... (Leguminosae) – Brazilwood.

De mindre Morpho arter oppe i bjergene som Morpho aurora, M. lympharis og M. zephyritis bruger Andes bambus, Chusquea arter (Poaceae).

De hårede brune larver som lever i kolonier er ret giftige, og deres hår vil irritere huden ved berøring. Den samlede livscyklus for Morpho sommerfugl, fra æg til døden, er ca 130 til 140 dage. De voksne (imago) sommerfugle lever omkring en måneds tid. De findes i flere fortløbende generationer forskudt fra hinanden året rundt, dog flest i regntiden. I tørketiden går de ofte i en diapause.  Morphoerne har dog fjender, der findes en parasitflue der lever i den voksne sommerfugls bagkrop, som gør at den kan havde en mærkelig adfærd i dens sidste levetid.  Morpho, hvis navn er inspireret af Morfeus som var drømmenes gud i den græske mytologi.

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A

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) male. Caranavi, Yungas december 10, 2014. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) female. Caranavi Highlands, Yungas, Bolivia december 11, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) female. Caranavi Highlands, Yungas, Bolivia december 11, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

De spektakulære blå morphoer opdrættes i kommercielle avlsprogrammer, hvor de iriserende vinger, anvendes til fremstilling af smykker og som indlæg i træbakker og lign. En art (Morpho rhetenor) er meget populære i sommerfuglekasser, de præparerede dyr sælges ofte uden bagkrop, da den er fjernet fordi dens olieagtige indhold ellers vil misfarve vingerne. Der foregår en stor eksport af de levende morpho-pupper til brug i div. trope og sommerfuglehuse i den vestlige verden.

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The blue Morphos (Morphini) is the most famous butterflies from South America, often large up to 20 cm. in wingspan when Morpho hecuba is the largest butterflies in the neotropical continent. There are also Morphos down to 7.5 cm in size of M. sulkowskyi & M. aurora, small species typically found in higher altitudes of the Andes east slopes.

Most species have an iridescent blue color on top. The blue color on the upper side due to refraction of light in the delicate tight scales which lack color pigment scales sits right advanced so they can display the entire color scale in a few moments when the light is broken at the right angle. The underside is often in brown shades, bearing Eyed in various sizes that reveal their family connection to Satyr family (Satyrinae).

There are also white Morphos; (M. epistrophus & M. polyphemus) and Morphos; brown with gray or orange bands on the upper side (M. Hecuba & M. Telemachus).

The origin of Morphinae dates back about 55 MY and occurred in the Brazilian Shield (Mata Atlantica), the oldest part of Sout America that emerged. Considering the length of the evolutionary period, the number of species of Morpho (30) proves quite limited, especially if one considers the immense size of their geographical distribution. This small number contrast with the considerable number of subspecies: at last 220.

The single species Morpho helenor has branched out into 48 subspecies spread from Tamaulipas, Mexico's east coast, Central America, Amazonian basin to northern Argentina. The diversity of subspecies is due, to a large extent, to the fact that Morpho are not migratory?

De blå Morphoer (Morphini), er de mest kendte dagsommerfugle fra Sydamerika, ofte store op til 20 cm. i vingefang, hvor Morpho hecuba er den største dagsommerfugl i den neotropiske verdensdel. Der findes også morphoer helt ned til 7,5 cm i størrelse, hvor M. sulkowskyi & M. aurora er  de små arter som typisk findes i større højder på Andesbjergenes østlige skråninger.

De fleste arter har et iriserende blå farve på oversiden. Den blå farve på oversiden skyldes brydning af lyset i de fine tætsiddende skæl som mangler farve pigment, skællene sidder ret avanceret så de kan vise hele farve-skalaen i nogle få øjeblikke når lyset brydes i den rette vinkel. Undersiden som ofte er i brune nuancer, er forsynet med øjepletter i forskellige størrelser, der afslører deres slægtsforbindelse til randøjerne (satyrinae).

Der findes også hvide morphoer (M. epistrophus, M. polyphemus) og brune morphoer med grå eller orange bånd på oversiden (M. hecuba, M. telemachus).

Oprindelsen af Morphinae går tilbage til omkring for 55 milioner år siden, og fandt sted på den brasilianske kontinentalplade (Mata Atlantica), den ældste del af Sydamerika der er opstået føt pladerne fra vest pressede sig under, og dermed opstod Andesbjergene.

I betragtning af længden af den evolutionære periode, antallet af arter af Morpho (30) som er ret begrænset, især hvis man betragter den enorme størrelse af deres geografiske udbredelse. Men det er tankevækkende det lille antal arter kontrast de mange underarter, ialt 22o underarter.

F.eks. har Morpho helenor hele 48 underarter udbredt fra Tamaulipas, Mexico østkyst, Mellemamerika, Amazonas til Andesbjergene i det centrale Sydamerika til nordlig Argentina.

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In Bolivia, I have seen 13 species of 45 species Morphini genus contained in the neotropiske region: Antirrhea (13) Caerois (2) Morpho (30). Their distribution is from Mexico north to Misiones, Argentina in the south. Link to Morphini genus of Bolivian Butterflies Checklist.

Bolivian Morphini species: Antirrhea (6) Caerois (1) Morpho (17)

  Subgenus Deyrollia (Cassildé & Blandin, 2010):
1 Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Schaller, 1785).
  Subgenus Iphimedeia (Fruhstorfer, 1912):
2 Morpho hercules ssp. hercules (Dalman, 1823)
3 Morpho telemachus ssp. telemachus (Linnaeus, 1758).
  Morpho telemachus ssp. exsusarion (Le Moult & Réal, 1962).
4 Morpho theseus ssp. theseus (Deyrolle, 1860).
5 Morpho amphitryon ssp. susarion (Fruhstorfer, 1912).
  Subgenus Laurschwartzia (Blandin, 2007):
6 Morpho hecuba ssp. obidonus (Fruhstorfer, 1905)? Caranavi, 2006: Lars
7 Morpho cisseis ssp. cisseis (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1860).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. phanodemus (Hewitson, 1869).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. cissaistrica (Le Moult & Réal, 1962).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. cabrera (Blandin & Lamas, 2007).
  Morpho cisseis ssp. rondoniensis (Jongerling, 2010).
  Subgenus Megamede (Hübner, 1819):
8 Morpho rhetenor ssp. rhetenor (Cramer, 1775).
  Morpho rhetenor ssp. subtusmurina (Le Moult & Réal, 1962)
  Morpho rhetenor ssp. tello (Blandin, 2007)
  Genus Morpho (Fabricius, 1807):
9 Morpho achilles ssp. achilles (Linnaeus, 1758).
  Morpho achilles ssp. vitrea (A. Butler, 1866).
  Morpho achilles ssp. agamedes (Fruhstorfer, 1912).
  Morpho achilles ssp. patrolus (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1861).
  Morpho achilles ssp. phokylides (Fruhstorfer, 1912).
  Morpho achilles ssp. songo (Weber, 1944).
10 Morpho helenor ssp. helenor (Cramer, 1776).
  Morpho helenor ssp. achillaena (Hübner, 1823).
  Morpho helenor ssp. achillides (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867).
  Morpho helenor ssp. coelestis (A. Butler, 1866).
  Morpho helenor ssp. leontius (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867).
  Morpho helenor ssp. papirius (Hopffer, 1874).
  Morpho helenor ssp. peleides (Kollar, 1850).
  Morpho helenor ssp. pindarus (Fruhstorfer, 1910).
  Morpho helenor ssp. popilius (Hopffer, 1874).
  Morpho helenor ssp. prometa (Blandin & Gareca, 2011).
  Morpho helenor ssp. theodorus (Fruhstorfer, 1907).
  Morpho helenor ssp. rugitaeniatus (Fruhstorfer, 1907).
  Morpho helenor ssp. tucupita (Le Moult, 1925).
11 Morpho deidamia ssp. diomedes (Weber, 1944).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. electra (Röber, 1903).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. grambergi (Weber, 1944).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. neoptolemus (Wood, 1863).
  Morpho deidamia ssp. steinbachi (Le Moult & Réal, 1962).
  Subgenus Grasseia (Le Moult & Réal, 1962):
12 Morpho menelaus ssp. didius (Hopffer, 1874).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. occidentalis (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. terrestris (A. Butler, 1866).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. zischkei (H. Fischer, 1962).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii (Guérin-Méneville, 1844).
  Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii f. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007). Cites Appendix III. Miljø- og Planlægningsudvalget 2011
  Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii f. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011).
  Subgenus Cytheritis (Le Moult & Réal, 1962):
13 Morpho sulkowskyi ssp. sulkowskyi (Kollar, 1850).
  Morpho sulkowskyi ssp. hoppiana (Niepelt, 1923).
  Morpho sulkowskyi ssp. (Kollar, 1850).
14 Morpho aurora ssp. aurora (Westwood, 1851).
  Morpho aurora ssp. auroreola (Fruhstorfer, 1913).
  Morpho aurora ssp. breyeri (Orfila, 1963).
15 Morpho lympharis (Butler, 1873). Butterfliesofamerica.com.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. lympharis (A. Butler, 1873). TL: Peru M T.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. descimokoenigi (Blandin, 1993). TL: Peru M T.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892). TL: Bolivia M T.
  Morpho lympharis ssp. stoffeli (Le Moult & Réal, 1962). TL: Peru.
16 Morpho zephyritis (Butler, 1873).
  Morpho zephyritis ssp. cesarsamensis (Blandin, 2007).
17 Morpho absoloni (E. May, 1924).
   
  Genus Caerois (Hübner, 1822):
18 Caerois chorinaeus chorinaeus (Fabricius, 1775),
  Caerois chorinaeus gerdrudtus (Fabricius, 1773),
   
  Genus Antirrhea (Hübner, 1822):
19 Antirrhea geryon geryon (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862).
  Antirrhea geryon geryonides (Weymer, 1909).
20 Antirrhea ornata (A. Butler, 1870).
21 Antirrhea phasiana (A. Butler, 1870).
22 Antirrhea philaretes ssp. philaretes (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862).
  Antirrhea philaretes ssp. avernus (Hopffer, 1874).
23 Antirrhea taygetina taygetina (A. Butler, 1868).
24 Antirrhea watkinsi (Rosenberg & Talbot, 1914).

I Bolivia har jeg set 12 arter af de 45 arter Morphini genus der findes i den neotropiske region: Antirrhea (13), Caerois (2), Morpho (30). Deres udbredelse er fra Mexico i nord til Misiones, Argentina i syd. Link til Morphini genus på Bolivian Butterflies Checklist.

Reference to:

Les Morpho

14th october 2016

-------

Yungas, Bolivia february 2007 - 2008- Photographer; Lars Andersen  and J. P. Christensen

Les Morpho: Distribution, diversification, behavior
Jean-Marc Gayman; Franck Merlier; Jacques Ouvaroff; Bruce Purser; Daniel Lacomme

Editor of
France Lépidoptéristes Association

On
Nouveautés Éditeurs the retail price (including VAT): £ 115

408 pages; 30.5 x 22 cm; joined
ISBN 978-2-9558531-0-8
EAN 9782955853108

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Caerois chorinaeus protonoe

Caerois chorinaeus ssp. rufomarginata (Lathy, 1918). . Porvenir, Manuripi. Pando Department, Bolivia september 11, 2022. Photographer; Gottfried SiebelCaerois chorinaeus ssp. rufomarginata (Lathy, 1918). . Porvenir, Manuripi. Pando Department, Bolivia september 11, 2022. Photographer; Gottfried Siebel

Caerois chorinaeus ssp. rufomarginata (Lathy, 1918).
Porvenir, Manuripi. Pando Department, Bolivia september 11, 2022. Photographer; Gottfried Siebel

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Antirrhea philaretes avernus

Bolivian Brown Morpho. Antirrhea philoctetes avernus. Caranavi d. 21 January 2010. Photographer; Lars AndersenBolivian Brown Morpho. Antirrhea philoctetes avernus. Caranavi d. 21 January 2010. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Bolivian Brown Morpho. Antirrhea philoctetes ssp. avernus (Hopffer, 1874).
Cascades de Quijarro, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia january 21, 2010. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Morpho'erne has also played supporting roles in movies like "Papillon" where Henri "Papillon" Charrière who becomes innocently convicted for the murder of a pimp and sent to a French penal colony in French Guinea, South America. One of the scenes in the movie are from the jungle, where the prisoners are set to capture Morphos. Their scale was again used for banknotes!

Morpho'erne har også spillet biroller i film som "Papillon" hvor Henri "Papillon" Charrieres som bliver uskyldigt dømt for mordet på en alfons og sendt til en fransk straffekoloni i Fransk Guinea, Sydamerika. En af scenerne i filmen er fra junglen, hvor fangerne er sat til at fange morphoerne. Deres skæl blev den gang brugt til pengesedler!

d. 22 marts 2009. Lars Andersen

Challa, Caranavi, Yungas. d. 24 February 2007. Photographer: Lars Andersen

dont use this pictures without permission from: 

photographer © Lars Andersen and © Peter Mollmann

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Bolivian Butterflies Checklist

Morphini

___________________________________________________

Morphos / Tornesol  

Enero  2008  

sitio 31

___________________________________________________


Mariposas de Bolivia

enero 2010

por Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia

enero  2009

por  Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia

enero  2008

por  Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia 

enero 2007

por Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia 

enero  2006

por Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen

 


 

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Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii  f. godartii (Guérin-Méneville, 1844).
Caranavi valley, Yungas, Bolivia d. 6 February 2009. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii f. titogilberti

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho godartii ssp. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011) male. Garrapatuni, Caranavi, elev 1000 m. Yungas. d. 3 february 2016. Photographer; Peter  Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii  f. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011) male.
Garrapatuni, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia February 3, 2016. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho godartii ssp. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011), 1844).  Copacabana, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia January 24, 2016. Photographer;  Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii  f. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011).
Copacabana, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia January 24, 2016. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho godartii ssp. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011) male.   Caturapi, Yungas, Bolivia february 1, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii  f. titogilberti (Blandin & Gareca, 2011) male.
Caturapi, Yungas,
Bolivia february 1, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii f. lachaumei

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho godartii ssp. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007) male. Rio Cristal, Caranavi highlands, Yungas, Bolivia february 19, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii  f. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007) male.
Rio Cristal, Caranavi highlands, Yungas,
Bolivia february 19, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho godartii ssp. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007) male. Bella Vista, Caranavi highlands, Yungas, Bolivia february 24, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii  f. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007) male.
Bella Vista, Caranavi highlands, Yungas,
Bolivia february 24, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

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Morpho menelaus ssp. godartii male

Giant Light-blue MorphoMorpho menelaus ssp. godartii  f. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007) male.
Caranavi Highlands, Yungas, Bolivia  February 2019. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Giant Light-blue Morpho, Morpho godartii ssp. lachaumei (Blandin, 2007).
Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia
February 2014. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

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Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia

Morpho marcus (Schaller, 1785). Caranavi, Yungas. d. 29 January 2010. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Adonis Morpho, Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Schaller, 1785).
Pusiliani, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia january 29, 2010. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Adonis Morpho, Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Kaye, 1917). Pusiliani, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia d. 7 january 2020. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Adonis Morpho, Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Kaye, 1917). Pusiliani, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia january 7, 2020. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Pusiliani , Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia d. 29 december 2019. Photographer; Peter Møllman.

Pusiliani , Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia d. 29 december 2019. Photographer; Peter Møllman.

Peter Møllmann; From one of my favorit locations, Pusiliani near Caranavi Bolivia.
Many morphos, I saw Morpho species;
Morpho helenor
, M. achilles, M. deidamia, M. rhetenor, M. telemachus, M. cisseis and M. marcus.

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Quijarro 935m, Caranavi Valley, Yungas, Bolivia January 23, 2022. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Quijarro 935m, Caranavi Valley /Highlands, Yungas, Bolivia January 23, 2022. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Adonis Morpho, Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Schaller, 1785) male. Quijarro 935 m, Caranavi Valley, Yungas, Bolivia January 23, 2022. Photographer; Nikolaj KleisslAdonis Morpho, Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Schaller, 1785) male. Quijarro 935 m, Caranavi Valley, Yungas, Bolivia January 23, 2022. Photographer; Nikolaj Kleissl

Adonis Morpho, Morpho marcus ssp. intermedia (Schaller, 1785) male.
Quijarro 935 m., Caranavi Valley, Yungas, Bolivia January 23, 2022. Photographer; Nikolaj Kleissl

The other day jan. 23, 2022: Peter Møllmann, Nikolaj Kleissl and Henrik Bringsøe were at the view of Quijarro Cascada de la Serpente view 1275 m., Where they walked down to streams in 935m. where they saw and photographed several different morphos such as;
M. achilles, M. helenor, M. telemachus. Few M. rhetenor, M. cisseis and M. deidamia, as well as the shown
M. marcus that Nikolaj has photographed. It's not every day, you can meet seven morphos species!

Was told by Peter over the phone that just before the stream met the army ants that passed over the path of several tracks. Though they ran fast over them, it was in the water right away to get rid of the biting and stinging soldiers army ants whose stings really make nas.

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Morpho deidamia ssp. electra

Morpho deidamia. Santa Rosa de Quilo-Quilo, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 28 January 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho deidamia. Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 16 January 2010. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho deidamia. Santa Rosa de Quilo-Quilo, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 28 January 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho deidamia. Santa Rosa de Quilo-Quilo, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 28 January 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenCaranavi, Yungas. d. 20 february 2007. Photographer: Lars AndersenEn Morpho deidamia fra Yungas, på vejen imellem Yolosa og Challa i 1000 m.h.Januar 2005. Fotograf: Lars Andersen

Marbled Morpho, Morpho deidamia ssp. electra (Röber, 1903).
Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia january - february, 2005 - 10. Photographer; Lars Andersen

In most Morphos, the males are colorful, it supports the theory that the blue color is used for internal sexual (intra-sexual) communication between males. Its scale-lamellae reflect up to 70% of all light that falls on them, including ultraviolet (UV) light. Morphos eyes are believed to be very sensitive to UV light and therefore are males able to see each other from quite large distances. Some South American species are reportedly visible to the human eye up to one kilometer away.

Hos de fleste morphoer er det hannerne der er farverige, det støtter teorien om, at den blå farve, bruges til intern sexuel (intrasexual) kommunikation imellem hannerne. Dens skæl-lameller afspejler op til hele 70% af lyset der falder på dem, herunder ultravioletlys (UV). Morphoernes øjne menes at være meget følsomme over for UV-lys og derfor er hannerne i stand til at se hinanden fra ret store afstande. Nogle sydamerikanske arter er angiveligt synlige for det menneskelige øje op til en kilometer væk.

The advantage of collectors, who lures them with a piece of blue foil, Morphos think the blue film is a rival he. There is a tribe along the Rio Negro in Brazil exploiting Blue Morphos (M. Menelaus) male territorial behavior by luring them into clearings with light blue decoys. The collected butterfly wings are used as decoration in ceremonial masks.

Det udnytter samlere, som lokker dem med et stykke blåt folie, for morphoen tror det blå folie er en konkurrerende han. Der er en stamme langs Rio Negro i Brasilien der udnytter Blue Morpho (M. Menelaus) hanners territoriale vaner ved at lokke dem i lysninger med lyseblå lokkedyr. De indsamlede sommerfugle vinger bliver brugt som udsmykning i ceremonielle masker.

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Morpho deidamia in slow motion

by Peter Møllmann

9th december 2017

Deidamia Morpho, Morpho deidamia ssp. electra (Röber, 1903) male.
From Caranavi Bolivia
december 8, 2017. Made with sony experia xz premium. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Scarce Morpho, Morpho deidamia ssp. electra (Röber, 1903). From Caranavi Bolivia december 11, 2021. Copyright pedromariposa / Peter Møllmann. 240 fps samsung 21ultra.

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Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia december 10, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Scarce MorphoMorpho deidamia ssp. electra (Röber, 1903) male. Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia december 10, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

This Morpho deidamia came to my mothlamp at night, not unusual, seen this before.
From my rooftop downtown Caranavi.
Morpho deidamia is a widespread but uncommon species found throughout the neotropical region from Nicaragua to Bolivia.
Common English name:
Scarce Morpho, Deidamia Morpho or Marbled Morpho.

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Morpho lympharis eros

The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Morpho lympharis. På vejen imellem Yolosa og Unduarvi i 2600 m.h. Den er lidt ør efter hårdhændet behandling! Efter nogen tid fløj den igen. d. 3 Januar 2005. Fotograf: Lars AndersenMichael Fernando photographer the Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2000 m. 23 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The dangerous road in the world, Cascades de Sacramento, Yungas, elev. 2790 m. 29 January 2009. Photographer: Peter MøllmannMountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The dangerous road in the world, Cascades de Sacramento, Yungas, elev. 2790 m. 29 January 2009. Photographer: Peter MøllmannMountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi female. The dangerous road in the world, Cascades de Sacramento, Yungas, elev. 2790 m. 29 January 2009. Photographer: Peter MøllmannLocality for Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2300 m. 2 February 2010. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2300 m. 2 February 2010. Photographer: Lars Andersen Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2300 m. 1 February 2010. Photographer: Lars Andersen Camino de Muerte elev. 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia d.  9 February 2012. Photographer: Lars AndersenMountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi male. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2300 m. 1 February 2010. Photographer: Lars Andersen Skæl hos Morpho sulkowskyi.Coll. Bolivia 2005. d. 1 september 2007. Fotograf: Lars AndersenSkæl hos Morpho sulkowskyi. Bolivia 2005. d. 1 september 2007. Fotograf: Lars AndersenLocality for Mountains Morphos, Morpho sulowskyi. The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail, Yungas, elev. 2300 m. 1 February 2010. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Mountain Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).
The dangerous road in the world; Cascades de Sacramento elev. 2790 m. & Kori Wayku Inca Trail, elev. 2300 m. Yungas, Bolivia
Photographer; Peter Møllmann & Lars Andersen

Camino de Muerte, Cascades de Sacramento Alto, elev. 2600 m. d.  9 February 2012. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Morpho lympharis locality with Andean bamboo, Chusquea species.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto 2600m. Yungas 9 February 2012. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Cloudy mountainforest,Morpho sulkowskyi locality. Cascades de Sacramento, Yungas. d. 22  February 2008. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892). Locality with Andean bamboo, Chusquea species.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto 2600m. Yungas 22 February 2008. Photographer; Lars Andersen

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Morpho lympharis eros

Mountains Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892). TL: Bolivia.

Satyrinae: There are 1100 known species of Satyrinae (Wikipedia) in the neotropical region.
They are generally weak fliers and often shun bright sunlight, preferring moist and semishaded habitats. The caterpillars feed chiefly on monocotyledonous plants such as palms, grasses, and bamboos.
The
Morphinae are sometimes united with this group.
Morpho Fabricius, 1807. 39 species.

Intro: – a diverse group of high altitude cloudforest butterflies, all of which are confined to the neotropical region.

Adult behaviour: Males can be found imbibing moisture from narrow tracks within the forest, but will also come out into more open areas occasionally.

Habitats: This is a cloudforest species found at altitudes between about 1400-2800m.

Lifecycle: The lifecycle appears to be unrecorded.

Foodplant: Feed on
Chusquea, Chusquea quila – a genus of bamboo which grows in thickets, mainly along the courses of streams.

Similar species: In Bolivia, I have seen 13 species of 45 species Morphini genus contained in the neotropiske region: Antirrhea (13) Caerois (2) Morpho (39). Their distribution is from Mexico north to Misiones, Argentina in the south. Link to Morphini genus of Bolivian Butterflies Checklist.

Locality/Distribution: Eastern cloudforest in Andes, Cordilerra, Peru, Bolivia and norhern Chile.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto, Camino de Muerte 2600 m.
Yungas, Bolivia d. 3 january 2005.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto, Camino de Muerte 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia d. 25 january 2007.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto, Camino de Muerte 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia d. 22 february 2008.
Ecovia, The old railroad southern of Coroico 2000 m. Yungas, Bolivia d. 23 february 2009.
Ecovia, The old railroad southern of Coroico 2000 m. Yungas,
Bolivia d. 1 february 2010.
Cascades de Sacramento Alto, Camino de Muerte 2600 m. Yungas,
Bolivia d. 9 february 2012.
Only fly in the sunshine, go to rest as soon as a cloud shadows of the sun in the ravine. Is the most spetacular butterflies flying along the world's most dangerous road in Bolivia.

In Bolivia, I have seen 13 species of 45 species Morphini genus contained in the neotropiske region: Antirrhea (13) Caerois (2) Morpho (30). Their distribution is from Mexico north to Misiones, Argentina in the south. Link to Morphini genus of Bolivian Butterflies Checklist.

GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
World distribution:
Mountains Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).

íNaturalist.org
began as the Master's final project of Nate Agrin, Jessica Kline,
and Ken-ichi Ueda at UC Berkeley's School of Information in 2008.
Mountains Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).

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Foodplants for Morpho's

Females lay eggs on misc. legumes, Fabales, one of the largest systems in the plant kingdom with approx. 17,000 species belonging to one family, papilionaceous plants (Fabaceae, Leguminosae). The family consists of three sub-families; caesalpinia, mimose and legumes sub-family. In Families often considered previously as independent families. As the name says, is the fruit a pod. One of the most familiar legumes are Brazilwood. - The tree, which put its name to half the world ... (Leguminosae) - Brazilwood.

The smaller Morpho species from the Andean mountain like the Morpho aurora, M. lympharis and M. zephyrites use Andean bamboo, Chusquea species (Poaceae).

The hairy brown caterpillars that live in colonies are quite toxic, and their hair will irritate the skin when touched. The total life cycle of Morphos butterfly, from egg to death, is approximately 130 to 140 days. The adult (imago) butterflies live about a month's time. They exist in several consecutive generations offset from each other year round, but mostly in the rainy season. In drought time goes on they are often in a diapause. Morphos However, enemies, there is a parasitic fly that lives in the adult butterfly's abdomen, making it to had a strange behavior in its last life. Morphos, whose name was inspired by Morpheus who had dreams god in Greek mythology.

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Værtsplanter for Morpho's

Hunnen lægger æg på div. bælgplanter Fabales, en af de største ordener i planteriget med ca. 17.000 arter, der tilhører én familie, ærteblomstfamilien (Fabaceae, Leguminosae). Familien består af tre underfamilier; caesalpinia-, mimose- og ærtblomst-underfamilien. Underfamilierne betragtedes tidligere ofte som selvstændige familier. Som navnet siger, er frugten en bælg. En af de mest kendte bælgplanter er BRASILTRÆ. - Træet, der lagde navn til en halv verdensdel ... (Leguminosae) – Brazilwood.

De mindre Morpho arter oppe i bjergene som Morpho aurora, M. lympharis og M. zephyritis bruger Andes bambus, Chusquea arter (Poaceae).

De hårede brune larver som lever i kolonier er ret giftige, og deres hår vil irritere huden ved berøring. Den samlede livscyklus for Morpho sommerfugl, fra æg til døden, er ca 130 til 140 dage. De voksne (imago) sommerfugle lever omkring en måneds tid. De findes i flere fortløbende generationer forskudt fra hinanden året rundt, dog flest i regntiden. I tørketiden går de ofte i en diapause.  Morphoerne har dog fjender, der findes en parasitflue der lever i den voksne sommerfugls bagkrop, som gør at den kan havde en mærkelig adfærd i dens sidste levetid.  Morpho, hvis navn er inspireret af Morfeus som var drømmenes gud i den græske mytologi.

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Morpho aurora

Morpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenMorpho aurora han. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars AndersenTwo Swedish women looking after the Aurora Morphos. Murata, Yungas, Bolivia. D. 21 February 2009. Photographer: Lars Andersen

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) male. Murata, Yungas february 9, 2009. Photographer; Lars Andeersen

The spectacular blue Morphos bred in commercial breeding programs, where iridescent wings are used for the manufacture of jewelry and messages in wooden tray and the like. One species (Morpho rhetenor) is very popular in butterfly boxes, they Morphos butterflies are often sold without abdomen, as it is removed because its oily contents would otherwise discolour wings. There is a large export of live Morphos-pupae for use in div. tropic and butterfly houses in the western world.

Morpho aurora. Caranavi, Yungas. d. 10 December 2014. Photographer: Peter MøllmannMorpho aurora. Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia december 2014. Photographer: Peter Møllmann

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) male. Caranavi, Yungas december 10, 2014. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) female. Caranavi Highlands, Yungas, Bolivia december 11, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) female. Caranavi Highlands, Yungas, Bolivia december 11, 2018. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

De spektakulære blå morphoer opdrættes i kommercielle avlsprogrammer, hvor de iriserende vinger, anvendes til fremstilling af smykker og som indlæg i træbakker og lign. En art (Morpho rhetenor) er meget populære i sommerfuglekasser, de præparerede dyr sælges ofte uden bagkrop, da den er fjernet fordi dens olieagtige indhold ellers vil misfarve vingerne. Der foregår en stor eksport af de levende morpho-pupper til brug i div. trope og sommerfuglehuse i den vestlige verden.

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851). Caranavi, Yungas january 3, 2009. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) male. Caranavi, Yungas january 3, 2009. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

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Morpho aurora in slow motion

by Peter Møllmann

3th december 2017

Aurora Morpho, Morpho aurora (Westwood, 1851) male.
From the highlands near Caranavi Bolivia
december 3, 2017.
Made with sony experia xz premium. Photographer;
Peter Møllmann

Caranavi d. 3 december 2017 Peter Møllmann;
Today I went to the highlands near Caranavi. Arriving at the location we crossed a smal river and 20+ auroras flew up from their mudpudling.
I saw hundreds of
Aurora Morpho's in a few hours. All very fresh, most common butterfly today, never saw so many. In the slo mo parts my sony xz premium smartphone take 960fps

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Morpho aurora from Rio Tunki Bolivia 240fps

d. 29 march 2020

Rio Tunki 1738 m., Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia february 2020. Photographer; Peter Møllmann

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Caerois chorinaeus protonoe

Caerois chorinaeus ssp. rufomarginata (Lathy, 1918). . Porvenir, Manuripi. Pando Department, Bolivia september 11, 2022. Photographer; Gottfried SiebelCaerois chorinaeus ssp. rufomarginata (Lathy, 1918). . Porvenir, Manuripi. Pando Department, Bolivia september 11, 2022. Photographer; Gottfried Siebel

Caerois chorinaeus ssp. rufomarginata (Lathy, 1918).
Porvenir, Manuripi. Pando Department, Bolivia september 11, 2022. Photographer; Gottfried Siebel

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Antirrhea philaretes avernus

Bolivian Brown Morpho. Antirrhea philoctetes avernus. Caranavi d. 21 January 2010. Photographer; Lars AndersenBolivian Brown Morpho. Antirrhea philoctetes avernus. Caranavi d. 21 January 2010. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Bolivian Brown Morpho. Antirrhea philoctetes ssp. avernus (Hopffer, 1874).
Cascades de Quijarro, Caranavi, Yungas, Bolivia january 21, 2010. Photographer; Lars Andersen

Morpho'erne has also played supporting roles in movies like "Papillon" where Henri "Papillon" Charrière who becomes innocently convicted for the murder of a pimp and sent to a French penal colony in French Guinea, South America. One of the scenes in the movie are from the jungle, where the prisoners are set to capture Morphos. Their scale was again used for banknotes!

Morpho'erne har også spillet biroller i film som "Papillon" hvor Henri "Papillon" Charrieres som bliver uskyldigt dømt for mordet på en alfons og sendt til en fransk straffekoloni i Fransk Guinea, Sydamerika. En af scenerne i filmen er fra junglen, hvor fangerne er sat til at fange morphoerne. Deres skæl blev den gang brugt til pengesedler!

d. 22 marts 2009. Lars Andersen

Challa, Caranavi, Yungas. d. 24 February 2007. Photographer: Lars Andersen

dont use this pictures without permission from: 

photographer © Lars Andersen and © Peter Mollmann

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Morpho zephyritis

3 November 2016

Pictures of Morpho zephyrites and Morpho godartii ssp. assarpari
from photographer Julio Miguel Rodriguez Vera is deleted.

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Morpho helenor

Morpho leontius. Santa Rosa de Quilo-Quilo, Yungas, Bolivia d. 28/1 2009. Fotograf: Lars Andersen. Vandt NFD årskonkurrence 2009 i kategorien; Insekter og hvirvelløse dyr!

Morpho helenor. Santa Rosa de Quilo-Quilo, Yungas, Bolivia 28 January 2009.  Fotograf: Lars Andersen

Nature photographers in Denmark = NFD has incurred Year competition d. 2 to 4 October 2009 in Grenaa. In the category of insects won Lars Andersen with a picture of a flying Morphos over waterfalls; Tornesol.

Naturfotograferne i Danmark = NFD har afholdt Årskonkurrencen fra d. 2 til 4 oktober 2009 i Grenå. I kategorien insekter vandt Lars Andersen med et billede af en flyvende morpho over vandfald; Tornesol.

Bolivian Butterflies Checklist

Morphini

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Morphos / Tornesol  

Enero  2008  

sitio 31

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Morpho Butterfly Costa Rica


 

Mariposas de Bolivia

enero 2010

por Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia

enero  2009

por  Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia

enero  2008

por  Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia 

enero 2007

por Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen


Mariposas de Bolivia 

enero  2006

por Peter Møllmann y Lars Andersen

 


 

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