''Morpho hercules'', the Hercules morpho, is a

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

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 ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Description

Upper surface grey green. Forewing with two rows of submarginal yellow dots, of which the proximal are considerably broader than the antemarginal. Patch before the apex of the cell narrow, dark green, subobsolete. Cell black green. Discal area glossy dark green. Distal border broad, deep black. Base of the forewing dark, of the hindwing somewhat lighter sea green. Under surface: forewing bearing two very large rounded

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-l ...

between the medians and two much smaller ones between the upper radial and the upper median. The proximal median spots narrow, irregular. Discal spot black. Cell with two very broad white longitudinal bands, posteriorly confluent. Hindwing predominantly red brown with a silver-white median band about 3 mm in breadth. There are three anal ocelli with black irises.

Biology

The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

feeds on Musaceae and

Menispermaceae Menispermaceae (botanical Latin: 'moonseed family' from Greek ''mene'' 'crescent moon' and ''sperma'' 'seed') is a family of flowering plants. The alkaloid tubocurarine, a neuromuscular blocker and the active ingredient in the 'tube curare' form ...

(''

Abuta selloana ''Abuta'' is a genus in the flowering plant family Menispermaceae, of about 32 species, native to tropical Central and South America. Description It consists in dioecious climbers or rarely erect trees or shrubs ('' Abuta concolor'') with s ...

'').

Etymology

It is named for the mythological hero

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

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 231 fig.3 underside (Brazil)

External links

"''Morpho'' Fabricius, 1807"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' with taxonomy and subspecies

Images of type and other specimens.

hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

Nymphalidae of South America Butterflies described in 1823 Fauna of Brazil {{Morphinae-stub