The caterpillar is red-brown with bright patches of lime-green on its back and has stinging hairs. Like all butterflies, Morpho butterflies pass through four distinct phases of metamorphosis.įirst, the pale green eggs that resemble dewdrops hatch into larvae, better known as caterpillars. This causes predators to loose track of the Morpho butterfly when it is flying as they only glimpse blue flashes as the brown underside makes them invisible in the thick foliage of the jungle. It also has a ‘flashing’ defence mechanism, meaning, due to the slow beating pace of their wings, the iridescent blue is flashed and then disappears as the wings are raised only to return in another place in a short while. Morpho butterflies are diurnally active (active during the day) and have the capability of ‘crypis’, meaning when they sleep at night, they fold their wings so that only the dark underside is seen, making them less visible to predators. Therefore, Morpho butterflies may be important in dispersing fungal spores. Morphos will also feed on the bodily fluids of dead animals and on fungi. The inebriated butterflies wobble in flight and are easy to catch. ![]() Morpho butterflies feed on the juices of fermenting fruit with which they may also be lured. Morpho butterflies taste with sensors on their legs and taste-smell the air with their antennae. It uses its proboscis (long, protruding mouth part) to drink sap and fruit juices. The Morpho butterfly drinks its food rather than eats it. Males are territorial and will chase any would-be rivals. Morpho butterflies are forest dwellers but will venture into sunny clearings in order to warm themselves. rhetenor) stands out as the most iridescence of all. An unusual species that is white in coloration, but which exhibits a stunning purple iridescence when viewed at certain angles. There also exists a number of white Morpho species. The eyes of Morpho butterflies are thought to be highly sensitive to UV light and therefore the males are able to see each other from great distances. Not all Morpho butterflies have iridescent coloration, however, they all have ocelli. The ventral side is decorated with ‘ocelli’ or eyespots. ![]() This structure may be called a ‘photonic crystal’. The colors produced vary with viewing angle, however they are actually surprisingly uniform, perhaps due to the tetrahedral (diamond-like) structural arrangement of the scales. ![]() These colors are not a result of pigmentation but rather are an example of iridescence (an optical phenomenon characterized as the property of surfaces in which hue changes according to the angle from which the surface is viewed). The males wings reflect the bright, iridescent color over an extremely wide angle, to maximize its visibility in the rainforest. The males bright coloring is designed to intimidate any rivals that might fly into his territory. The female Morpho butterfly is less vivid than the male. The underside of the wings resembles foliage, with mottled brown, greys, blacks and reds. Many Morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blue and green on the upper wing surface. Morpho butterflies range in wingspan from the 7.5 centimetres (3 inches) to the larger 20 centimetres (8 inches) of the Sunset Morpho (M. However, they have sometimes been observed flying near the ground in clearings. Morpho Butterflies dwell in the forest canopy layer and rarely come near the understorey and forest floor layers. Morpho butterflies are neotropical butterflies found mostly in Central America as well as Mexico and South America including Brazil, Costa Rica and Venezuela. Rainforest Morpho Butterfly A Morpho Butterfly (Morpho menelaus), is one of over 80 described species of butterflies that reside in the rainforests.
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