Morpho achilles


Morpho achilles, the Achilles morpho, blue-banded morpho, or banded blue morpho, 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 patroclus, the dorsal sides of the forewings are black, with two broad vertical bands of brilliant blue. The undersides of the hindwings are olive brownish, with several ocelli formed by blue, yellow, and red concentric rings.

Subspecies

  • M. a. achilles – Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana
  • M. a. agamedes Fruhstorfer, 1912 – Peru
  • M. a. fischeri Weber, 1962 – Peru
  • M. a. glaisi Le Moult & Réal, 1962 – Venezuela
  • M. a. guaraunos Le Moult, 1925 – Venezuela
  • M. a. guerrerensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
  • M. a. patroclus C. & R. Felder, 1861 – Colombia
  • M. a. phokylides Fruhstorfer, 1912 – Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil
  • M. a. theodorus Fruhstorfer, 1907 – Ecuador
  • M. a. vitrea Butler, 1866 – Bolivia

    Biology

The caterpillars feed on various species of climbing plants, 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.