''Morpho cisseis'', the Cisseis morpho, is a large

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bi ...

butterfly found in the southern and western

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

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, Colombia,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

, and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It includes several subspecies, but has itself sometimes been treated as a subspecies of the sunset morpho. Both are highly valued by collectors.

Description

''Morpho cisseis'' is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 147 mm and 180 mm. The upperside is blue-green gray, the outer edge is largely bordered by black and broad black band extending over two-thirds of the forewing's costal edge. The reverse is copper decorated with a line of white chevrons and black, yellow and white eyespots, three on the forewings and a very large and three more small eyespots on the hindwings. Account in ''Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde'' Fruhstorfer, H. 1913. Family: Morphidae. In A. Seitz (editor), ''Macrolepidoptera of the World'', vol. 5: 333–356. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen.

Etymology

Cissei was the daughter of Cisseus, king of Thrace.

References

* Le Moult, E. & Réal, P., 1962–1963. ''Les ''Morpho'' d'Amérique du Sud et Centrale'', Editions du cabinet entomologique E. Le Moult, Paris. *Paul Smart, 1976 ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World in Color''. London, Salamander:''Encyclopedie des papillons''. Lausanne, Elsevier Sequoia (French language edition) page 230 fig.2(Brazil) page 231 ssp. ''phanodemus'' Hew., underside (Peru).

External links

* Taxonomy (subspecies)
"Species ''Morpho cisseis''"
''Butterflies of America''. Images of

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and other specimens.
"''Morpho cisseis'' C. & R. Felder, 1860"
''Insecta.pro''. {{Taxonbar , from=Q3324334 Morpho Nymphalidae of South America Fauna of Brazil Butterflies described in 1860 Taxa named by Baron Cajetan von Felder Taxa named by Rudolf Felder