Morpho achilles
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Morpho
Species:	M. achilles
Binomial name
Morpho achilles (Linnaeus, 1758)

Morpho achilles, the Achilles morpho, blue-banded morpho, or banded blue morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly.

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 patroclus, 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, and red concentric rings.

Subspecies

• M. a. achilles (Linnaeus, 1758) – Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana
• M. a. agamedes Fruhstorfer, 1912 – Peru
• M. a. fischeri Weber, 1962 – Peru
• M. a. glaisi Le Moult & Réal, 1962 – Venezuela
• M. a. guaraunos Le Moult, 1925 – Venezuela
• M. a. guerrerensis Le Moult & Réal, 1962
• M. a. patroclus C. & R. Felder, 1861 – Colombia
• M. a. phokylides Fruhstorfer, 1912 – Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil
• M. a. theodorus Fruhstorfer, 1907 – Ecuador
• M. a. vitrea Butler, 1866 – Bolivia

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.

Gallery

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  Ventral view
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  Dorsal view
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  Museum specimen from Mato Grosso, Brazil