Morpho catenarius

Morpho catenarius
	From Brazil
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Morpho
Species:	M. catenarius
Binomial name
	Morpho catenarius; Perry, 1811
Synonyms
	Papilio catenaria Perry, 1811; Morpho catenaria; Morpho (Pessonia) laertes f. avicularia Le Moult & Réal, 1962; Morpho (Pessonia) laertes sachtlebeni Le Moult & Réal, 1962; Morpho (Pessonia) catenaria catenaria f. elataria Le Moult & Réal, 1962; Morpho (Pessonia) catenaria eutroparia Le Moult & Réal, 1962;

Morpho catenarius is a Neotropical butterfly belonging to the subfamily Morphinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is considered, by some authors, to be a subspecies of Morpho epistrophus.

Description

Morpho catenarius has a wingspan of about 75–100 millimetres (3.0–3.9 in). This species lacks the usual bright blue coloration of many Morpho species. The translucent surfaces of the wings vary from a pale blue color to almost white. The edges of the wings show a series of black spots, while the hindwings are crossed by several small "eyes". Larvae feed on Scutia buxifolia (Rhamnaceae) and other plant species in the families Erythroxylaceae, Leguminosae, Sapindaceae and Euphorbiaceae.

Distribution

This species is found in Brazil (Minas Gerais, São Paulo).

References

Global Species
Catalogue of Life
"Morpho Fabricius, 1807" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
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 234 fig.3 female form marmorata Fruhstorfer (Brazil)

External links

Butterflies of America Images of type and other specimens of Morpho epistrophus catenaria
Morpho catenarius
World Field Guide^{[permanent dead link]}

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