Morpho didius

Morpho didius
File:Morpho didius Male Dos MHNT.jpg
Dorsal view of male (MHNT)
File:Morpho didius Male Ventre MHNT.jpg
Ventral view of same specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Morpho
Species:	M. didius
Binomial name
Morpho didius Hopffer, 1874
Synonyms
Morpho didius f. incompta Talbot, 1929 Morpho didius hypanophthalma Niepelt, 1934 Morpho didius f. flavolimbata Niepelt, 1934 Morpho didius f. bipunctata Rousseau-Decelle, 1935 Morpho didius f. subrufa Rousseau-Decelle, 1935 Morpho didius didius f. albomarginalis Weber, 1951 Morpho (Grasseia) didius pseudassarpai Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. destituta Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. rubiginosa Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. decompta Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. decempunctata Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. nucleata Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. diluta Le Moultt & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius f. limbata Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. scopifera Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. atlas Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius f. caeca Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) didius didius f. nana Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) occidentalis kruegeri f. stygia Le Moult & Réal, 1962 Morpho (Grasseia) godarti [sic] assarpai f. coelicolor Le Moult & Réal, 1962

Morpho didius, the metallic blue morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly belonging to the subfamily Morphinae of family Nymphalidae. It is considered, by some authors, to be a subspecies of Morpho menelaus.

Description

File:Morpho didius gynandromorphe GLAM muséum Lille 2016.JPG

Morpho didius
This specimen is a gynandromorph (Musée d'histoire naturelle de Lille).

Morpho didius has a wingspan reaching 150 millimetres (5.9 in), making it one of the largest of Morpho species. The dorsal side of the wings are iridescent and metallic blue, and the forewings are quite elongated.

Distribution

This species can be found in Peru.

Biology

The larva feeds on palm trees.

References

• BioLib.cz
• "Morpho Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
• Butterflies of America Images of type and other specimens of Morpho menelaus didius.
• Paul Smart, 1976 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World in Color. London, Salamander: Encyclopedie des papillons. Lausanne, Elsevier Sequoia (French language edition) page 235 fig. 7 female (Peru)