Morpho lympharis
| Lympharis Morpho | |
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| Museum specimen from Chanchamayo Province, Peru. | |
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| Species: | M. lympharis
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| Binomial name | |
| Morpho lympharis (Butler, 1873)
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Morpho lympharis, the Lympharis Morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly found in Peru and Bolivia.
Description
Morpho lympharis is a large butterfly. The crystal clear wings are suffused blue or iridescent pink.The reverse side is decorated with a row of ocelli.
Morpho lympharis replaces M. portis in the Andean region, but has hitherto only been found in Peru and was described from Pucartambo. Male above somewhat darker blue than M. aega and with subapical white punctiform spots on the forewing. Underside of both wings with three ocelli, of which the apical and the two intermediate ones are elongate-oval in shape. Otherwise as Morpho portis Hbn.[1]
Taxonomy
Blandin (1993), considers Morpho lympharis conspecific with Morpho sulkowskyi and that it is one of a north-south succession of sub-species spread from Colombia to Bolivia, with a north-south succession of sub-species. Lamas (2004) considers that there are two different species, M. sulkowskyi ranging from Colombia to central Perú, and M. lympharis Butler, 1873, ranging from central Peru to Bolivia.
Habitat
Morpho sulkowskyi and Morpho lympharis uniquely occupy Tropical Andes cloud forests, at altitudes between 1500 and 3500 m.
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
- Funet Taxonomy (subspecies)
- Butterflies of America Images of type and other specimens.
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