Kingdom Animalia Order Lepidoptera Genus Morpho Higher classification Morpho | Phylum Arthropoda Family Nymphalidae Scientific name Morpho achilles Rank Species | |
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Similar Morpho, Butterfly, Butterflies and moths, Morpho adonis, Morpho deidamia | ||
Morpho achilles
Morpho achilles, the Achilles morpho, blue-banded morpho or banded blue morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly.
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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, 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, red and red concentric rings.
Subspecies
Biology
The caterpillars feed on various species of climbing plants (Dalbergia, Inga, Machaerium, Machaerium aculeatum, Myrocarpus, Platymiscium, and Pterocarpus), 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.