''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 bioge ...

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 technology c ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

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

, 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 In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, but has itself sometimes been treated as a subspecies of the

sunset morpho ''Morpho hecuba'', the sunset morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly and the largest species in the genus ''Morpho''. Its wingspan can reach , but is usually from . "''M. hecuba'' is the largest known Morpho and one may also call it the most interest ...

. 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 type 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