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.
Biology
The larvae of subspecies Morpho helenor achillaena have been recorded as feeding on Genipa americana, Inga, Machaerium oblongifolium and Platymiscium.
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically:[1]
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M. h. achillaena (Hübner, [1823])
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M. h. achillides C. & R. Felder, 1867
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M. h. anakreon Fruhstorfer, 1910
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M. h. charapensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
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M. h. coelestis Butler, 1866
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M. h. cortone Fruhstorfer, 1913
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M. h. corydon Guenée, 1859
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M. h. guerrerensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
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M. h. helenor (Cramer, 1776)
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M. h. insularis Fruhstorfer, 1912
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M. h. leontius C. & R. Felder, 1867
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M. h. macrophthalmus Fruhstorfer, 1913
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M. h. maculata Röber, 1903
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M. h. marajoensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
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M. h. marinita Butler, 1872
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M. h. montezuma Guenée, 1859
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M. h. narcissus Staudinger, 1887
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M. h. octavia Bates, 1864
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M. h. papirius Hopffer, 1874
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M. h. peleides Kollar, 1850 now also described in Morpho peleides
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M. h. peleus Röber, 1903
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M. h. pindarus Fruhstorfer, 1910
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M. h. popilius Hopffer, 1874
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M. h. rugitaeniatus Fruhstorfer, 1907
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M. h. telamon Röber, 1903
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M. h. theodorus Fruhstorfer, 1907
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M. h. tucupita Le Moult, 1925
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M. h. ululina Le Moult & Réal, 1962
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M. h. violaceus Fruhstorfer, 1912
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M. h. zonaras Fruhstorfer, 1912
Gallery
Plate from Adalbert Seitz. Top left are Morpho helenor limpidus Butler, 1872, from Costa Rica and Morpho helenor hyacinthus Butler, 1866, from Honduras.
Morpho helenor achilleana
Morpho helenor peleides
Panama
Morpho helenor peleides
Panama
Morpho helenor helenor
Morpho helenor helenor, male, dorsal - MHNT
Morpho helenor helenor male, ventral - MHNT
Morpho helenor helenor, female, dorsal - MHNT
Morpho helenor helenor, female, ventral - MHNT
References
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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)