Morpho menelaus

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Nymphalidae

'The Nymphalidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Distributed worldwide, butterflies of this family are especially rich in the tropics. They are highly variable, and there are more species in this family than in any other. Adults vary in size from small to large, and their front legs are reduced, unable to be used for walking. Wing shape is also highly variable: some species have irregular margins (anglewings and commas), and others have long taillike projections (daggerwings). Browns, oranges, yellows, and blacks are frequent colors, while iridescent colors such as purples and blues are rare. Adults of some groups are the longest-lived butterflies, surviving 6-11 months. Adult feeding behavior depends on the species, where some groups primarily seek flower nectar while others only feed on sap flows , rotting fruit, dung, or animal carcasses. Males exhibit perching and patrolling behaviors when seeking mates. Egg-laying varies widely, as some species lay eggs in clustsers, others in columns, and others singly. Caterpillar appearance and behavior vary widely. Brushfoots overwinter as larvae or adults.

'[1]

Subfamily Satyrinae

The Satyrinae are medium-sized species of the Family Nymphalidae. Members of this worldwide group are most often brown with one or more marginal eyespots. Males often have visible patches of specialized scales on the fore- or hindwings . Adults have short proboscises and rarely visit flowers, feeding instead on rotting fruit, animal droppings, or sap flows . Nearly all species feed on grasses and grasslike plants , including bamboos , rushes, and sedges. Adults usually perch with their wings closed , but open them wide when basking early in the morning or during cloudy weather. Most species have local colonies and are not migratory. Males patrol when searching for mates, flying in characteristic slow, skipping flight. Eggs are laid singly on the host leaves or stems, and caterpillars feed within shelters of several leaves sewn together with silk . Development from egg to adult can take two years in arctic and alpine species, and it is synchronized in some species. In those species, adult butterflies are only found every other year. Satyrinae typically overwinter as partially grown caterpillars.[2]

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Morpho

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 11 species and subspecies in this genus:

M. achilles (Achilles Morpho) · M. amathonte (Amathonte Morpho) · M. deidamia (Deidmia Morpho) · M. granadensis (Granada Morpho) · M. helenor (Helen's Morpho) · M. menelaus (Menelaus Morpho) · M. menelaus didius (Didius Morpho) · M. peleides (Blue Morpho) · M. peleides limpida (Blue Morpho) · M. perseus (Perseus Morpho) · M. polyphemus (White Morpho)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• American forests. Washington [etc.]American Forestry Association [etc.] url p. 424.
• Annual report / Albany: University of the State of New York, 1902-1918. url p. 72.
• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. url p. 438, p. 94.
• Bulletin of the Brooklyn Entomological Society. Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Society, url , , , , , , , p. 108, p. 119, p. 120, p. 142, p. 150, p. 153, p. 24, p. 31, p. 31, p. 32, p. 47, p. 63, p. 71, p. 77, p. 95.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, 1863- url p. 174, p. 174, p. 195.
• Cassell's natural history. Ed. by P. Martin Duncan. .. London [etc]Cassell & Company, Limited, 1891-96. url p. 27.
• Entomological news, and proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia[Entomological Rooms of the Academy of Natural Sciences] url , , , , , , , , , , , .
• Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- url , , , , , , , , , p. 155.
• Hardwicke's science-gossip: an illustrated medium of interchange and gossip for students and lovers of nature. London: Robert Hardwicke, 1866- url p. 144, p. 144, p. 246, p. 247, p. 284, p. 48, p. 72.
• How to see with the microscope / being useful hints connected with the selection and use of the instrument...by J. Edwards Smith Chicago: Duncan Bros., 1880 url p. 305.
• How to see with the microscope. Chicago, Duncan Brothers, 1885. url p. 305.
• How to see with the microscope; being useful hints connected with the selection and use of the instrument. .. Chicago, Duncan, 1880. url p. 305.
• Insects. By David Sharp. London, Macmillan, 1895-99. url p. 318, p. 616.
• Insects. by David Sharp. London: Macmillan, 1909. url p. 318, p. 616.
• Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society. Oxford [etc.]Royal Microscopical Society. url p. 557.
• Materials for the study of variation: treated with especial regard to discontinuity in the origin of species / by William Bateson. London: Macmillan, 1894. url p. 298.
• Museum bulletin / New York State Museum. Albany, N.Y.: University of the State of New York, 1908-1916. url p. 72.
• Nature. London, Macmillan. url p. 149.
• Objects for the microscope, being a popular description of the most instructive and beautiful subjects for exhibition. London, Groombridge and sons, 1871. url p. 92.
• Objects for the microscope: being a popular description of the most instructive and beautiful subjects for exhibition / by L. Lane Clarke. London: Groombridge, 1863. url p. 96, p. 97.
• Objects for the microscope; a popular description of the most instructive and beautiful subjects for exhibition or examination. Lond., Groombridge, 1889. url p. 92.
• Practical microscopy. By George E. Davis. Illustrated with two hundred and fifty-seven woodcuts and a coloured frontispiece. London, D. Bogue, 1882. url p. 147.
• Proceedings and transactions of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. London, British Entomological and Natural History Society. url p. 21.
• Proceedings of the South London Entomological & Natural History Society. London [Eng]: South London Entomological and Natural history Society, [1897-1933] url p. 52.
• Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. London: Academic Press, [etc.], 1833-1965. url p. 339, p. 566.
• Scientific side-lights, illustrating thousands of topics by selections from standard works of the masters of science throughout the world. .. comp. by James C. Fernald. and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, 1903 [1902] url p. 344.
• The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology being a continuation of the Annals combined with Loudon and Charlesworth's Magazine of Natural History. London, Taylor and Francis, Ltd. url p. 36.
• The Cambridge natural history / edited by S. F. Harmer and A. E. Shipley. London: Macmillan and Co.; 1895-1909. url p. 318.
• The Cambridge natural history, ed. by S.F. Harmer. .. and A.E. Shipley. .. London, Macmillan and co., limited;1895-1909 url p. 318, p. 616.
• The Entomologist's monthly magazine. Oxford [etc.]Entomologist's Monthly Magazine Ltd. [etc.] url p. 283.
• The Entomologist's record and journal of variation. s.l., s.n. url , , , , p. 95.
• The Entomologist. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., [1877- url p. 132, p. 308, p. 316, p. 346, p. 41, p. 43.
• The Hope reports. Oxford: Printed for private circulation, 1897-1958. url p. 382.
• The Lepidopterists' news: the monthly newsletter of the Lepidopterists' Society. Cambridge, Mass.: Lepidopterists' Society, 1947-1958. url p. 24.
• The Macrolepidoptera of the world; a systematic description of the hitherto known Macrolepidoptera, ed. in collaboration with well-known specialists. Stuttgart: Seitz'schen (Kernen), 1906- url p. 1057, p. 334, p. 350, p. 352, p. 355.
• The micrographic dictionary; a guide to the examination and investigation of the structure and nature of microscopic objects. London, John Van Voorst, 1856. url p. 699.
• The microscope 1869 url p. 610.
• The microscope and its revelations / London: J. & A. Churchill, 1875. url p. 207.
• The microscope and its revelations, by William B. Carpenter. London, John Churchill and Sons, 1868. url p. 177.
• The microscope, and its revelations. Philadelphia: Blanchard and Lea, 1856. url .
• The microscope: and its revelations. Philadelphia, Blanchard and Lea, 1856. url .
• The microscope: its history, construction, and application, being a familiar introduction to the use of the instrument and the study of microscopical science / by Jabez Hogg; with upwards of five hundred engravings and coloured illustrations by Tuffen West. London: G. Routledge and Sons, 1871. url p. 610.
• The western world. Picturesque sketches of nature and natural history in North and South America. By William H. G. Kingston. London, T. Nelson and Sons, 1874. url p. 567, p. 567.
• Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: the IUCN Red Data Book IUCN url p. 157.
• Timehri. Demerara: "Argosy" url p. 111, p. 138, p. 321, p. 353.
• True tales of the insects. .. / with forty-four illustrations by Margaret J. D. Badenoch. London: Chapman & Hall, ld., 1899. url p. 171, p. xviii.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 26, 2008:

• University of Helsinki, Department of Applied Biology: Rancho Grande

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2971610
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-146387.0
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1447220

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=18&sci=Nymphalidae&com=Brush-footed Butterflies [back]
2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Paramacera&search=Search [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.