Morpho amphitryon

Morpho amphitryon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Genus:
Morpho
Species:
M. amphitryon
Binomial name
Morpho amphitryon
Synonyms
  • Morpho (Iphimedeia) theseus amphitrion f. azurita Fruhstorfer, 1913
  • Morpho hercules antaeus Röber, 1927
  • Morpho (Iphimedeia) amphitrion amphitrion f. persion Le Moult & Réal, 1962
  • Morpho amphitryon duponti Duchêne, 1985
  • Iphimedeia amphitryon susarion Fruhstorfer, 1913
  • Morpho amphitrion cinereus f. malva Duchêne, 1985
  • Morpho amphitrion cinereus f. blandini Duchêne, 1985

Morpho amphitryon is a Neotropical butterfly.

Description

Morpho amphitryon is a very large butterfly with a wingspan of 150–160 mm. The top of the wings is a blue grey metallic colour with a wide grey border embellished by a submarginal row of white spots. The outer edge of the forewing is concave and the hindwings have a scalloped edge. "amphitrion Stgr. [as race of Morpho theseus], from Chanchamayo, South Peru, has the forewing much elongated, with the cell blue-grey. Males also occur with the upper surface suffused with blue-white throughout."[1]

Habitat

Morpho amphitryon lives in Andean montane forests at altitudes from 700 to 2000 metres above sea level.

Status

Morpho amphitryon is a "scarce" or rare species.

Subspecies
  • M. a. amphitryon (Peru)
  • M. a. azurita Duchêne et Blandin, 2009
  • M. a. susarion Fruhstorfer, 1913 (Bolivia)
  • M. a. cinereus Duchêne, 1985 (Peru)

Distribution

This species is present in Bolivia and Peru. The northernmost population is in the mountain chain which forms the border between the Amazonas and San Martín departments. It is a Tropical Andes species.

References
  1. 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.
  • Duchêne, G. & Blandin, P., 2009. Les sous-espèces de Morpho (Iphimedeia) amphitryon Staudinger, 1887 en Bolivie et dans le sud du Pérou, et leurs rapports avec les sous-espèces de Morpho (Iphimedia) telemachus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae, Morphinae). Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France. 114(3) : 373-382.
  • 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 231 fig.4 (Peru)


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