Morpho helenor, 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.

Helenor blue morpho
Morpho helenor pindarus dorsal view
Morpho helenor helenor ventral view
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Morpho
Species:
M. helenor
Binomial name
Morpho helenor
(Cramer, 1776)
Subspecies

Many (see section below)

Biology

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The larvae of subspecies Morpho helenor achillaena have been recorded as feeding on Genipa americana, Inga, Machaerium, Platymiscium, Wisteria, Trifolium, Arachis and Robinia.

Subspecies

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Listed alphabetically:[1]

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

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References

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  1. ^ "Morpho Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  • 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). ISBN 9780948427046 ISBN 0600313816 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)
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