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