Morpho didius

Morpho didius, the giant 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.

Morpho didius
Dorsal view of male (MHNT)
Ventral view of same specimen
Scientific 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

Description
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.
  • Better Butterfly Creations
  • Paul Smart, 1976 The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World in Color. London, Salamander: Encyclopedie des papillons. Lausanne, Elsevier Sequoia (French language edition) ISBN 9780948427046 ISBN 0600313816 page 235 fig. 7 female (Peru)


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