Morpho richardus
| Richard's Morpho | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A Morpho plate fromm Seitz. Morpho richardus is the centre butterfly, top row. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Tribe: | Morphini |
| Genus: | Morpho |
| Species: | M. richardius |
| Binomial name | |
| Morpho richardius Fruhstorfer, 1898 | |
Richard's Morpho (Morpho richardius) is a Neotropical butterfly found only in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Description
richardus Fruhst. (69 a), from Minas Geraes, differs most considerably : male of indefinite greenish, female of yellowish bronze-green colour, both above and beneath deceptively like a small M. hercules Dalm. I have only three examples before me, which were bred from the larva and killed too soon. Forewing with 3 rows of submarginal yellow dots. The patch before the apex of the cell broadly dull gold-yellow, with scattered black scales. Discal area of the forewing yellowish. Distal margin rather narrow, brown-black, base of both wings light green. Under surface: forewing with four small, elongate ocelli of about uniform size, with narrow black irides. Proximally to the ocelli three very large, triangular grey-yellow median spots. Underside of the hindwing predominantly red-brown, with violet sheen. Median band grey-violet. Length of the forewing 58 mm.[1]
Biology
The larva feeds on Abuta selloana.
References
- ↑ Fruhstorfer, H., 1913. Family: Morphidae. In A. Seitz (editor), Macrolepidoptera of the world, vol. 5: 333–356. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen.
- Le Moult (E.) & Réal (P.), 1962-1963. Les Morpho d'Amérique du Sud et Centrale, Editions du cabinet entomologique E. Le Moult, Paris.
External links
- Funetfi
- Butterflies of America Images of type and other specimens.