Overview
Morphinae is a of Nymphalidae butterflies that includes the morphos, the owl butterflies (Caligo) and related lineages. It is either considered a sister group of the Satyrinae, or disassembled and included therein.
Systematics
This group is the subject of intense study and the following classification is subject to modification:
Morphini
- Antirrhea
- Caerois
- Morpho
Sometimes[1] includes the monotypic tribe Biini, otherwise placed in the Brassolini
Amathusiini (sometimes considered a distinct subfamily Amathusiinae)
- 15 genera (see subfamily article)
Brassolini (previously considered a distinct subfamily Brassolinae)
- 18-19 genera, see subfamil y article
Photos
Taxonomy
The Subfamily Morphinae is a member of the Family Nymphalidae. Here is the complete "parentage" of Morphinae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Subfamily: Morphinae - Morpho Butterflies
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Order: Lepidoptera
Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Superorder: Amphiesmenoptera
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Subfamily Morphinae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Tribe (2): Amathusiini · Brassolini
- Genus (11): Amathusia · Amathuxidia · Faunis · Melanocyma · Morpho · Morphopsis · Opsiphanes · Taenaris · Thaumantis · Thauria · Xanthotaenia
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 569 species and subspecies in the Subfamily Morphinae.
Genera
Amathusia
Amathuxidia
Faunis
Faunis is a of Asian butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. They are among the butterflies commonly known as "fauns" or "duffers". [more]
Melanocyma
Morpho
A Morpho butterfly may be one of over 80 species of the Morpho. They are Neotropical butterflies found mostly in South America as well as Mexico and Central America. Morphos range in wingspan from the 7.5 cm (3 inch) M. rhodopteron to the imposing 20 cm (8 inch) Sunset Morpho, M. hecuba. The name Morpho, meaning changed or modified, is also an epithet of Aphrodite and Venus. [more]
Morphopsis
Opsiphanes
Taenaris
Thaumantis
Thauria
Xanthotaenia
At least 8 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Xanthotaenia.
More info about the Genus Xanthotaenia may be found here.
References
- Freitas, A. V. L., Debra L. Murray, D. L., and Brown, K. S., Jr. 2002. Immatures, natural history and the systematic position of Bia actorion (Nymphalidae). Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, 56(3): 117-122, 2 figs. (11 October) (Bia placed in Satyrinae)
- Lamas, G. (Ed.). (2004). Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Checklist: Part 4A. Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea. Gainesville: Association for Tropical Lepidoptera. ISBN 094541728.
Footnotes
- ^ E.g. Freitas et al. (2002)
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Thursday, August 13, 2009.
- Photographs on this page are copyrighted by individual photographers, and individual copyrights apply.
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