''Morpho lympharis'', the Lympharis 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

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 ...

and

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 ...

Description

''Morpho lympharis'' is a large butterfly. The crystal-clear wings are suffused blue or iridescent pink. The reverse side is decorated with a row of

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 ...

. ''Morpho lympharis'' replaces '' M. portis'' in the Andean region, but has hitherto only been found in Peru and was described from

Paucartambo Province Paucartambo Province (from Quechua: Pawqar Tampu, meaning "colo(u)red '' tambo''") is one of thirteen provinces in the Cusco Region in the southern highlands of Peru. Boundaries * North: Madre de Dios Region * East: Quispicanchi Province * South ...

. The male above somewhat darker blue than '' M. aega'' and with subapical white punctiform spots on the forewing. Underside of both wings with three ocelli, of which the apical and the two intermediate ones are elongate-oval in shape. Otherwise as ''M. portis''.Fruhstorfer, H., 1913. Family: Morphidae. In A. Seitz (editor), ''Macrolepidoptera of the world'', vol. 5: 333–356. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen.

Taxonomy

Blandin (1993), considers ''Morpho lympharis''

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

with ''

Morpho sulkowskyi ''Morpho sulkowskyi'', or Sulkowsky's morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Habitat ''Morpho sulkowskyi'' is a Tropical Andes cloud forest specialist (above 800 to 1,500 meters as high as 3500 meters). ...

'' and that it is one of a north-south succession of subspecies spread from Colombia to Bolivia. Lamas (2004) considers that there are two species, ''M. sulkowskyi'' ranging from Colombia to central Peru, and ''M. lympharis'', ranging from central Peru to Bolivia.

Habitat

''Morpho sulkowskyi'' and ''Morpho lympharis'' uniquely occupy

Tropical Andes The Tropical Andes is northern of the three climate-delineated parts of the Andes, the others being the Dry Andes and the Wet Andes. The Tropical Andes' area spans . Geography and ecology file:Andes_clima.png, 200px, Map of the climatic regions ...

cloud forests A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

, at altitudes between 1500 and 3500 m.

References

* Le Moult (E.) & Réal (P.), 1962-1963. ''Les Morpho d'Amérique du Sud et Centrale'', Editions du cabinet entomologique E. Le Moult, Paris.

External links

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

Images of type and other specimens. Morpho Nymphalidae of South America Butterflies described in 1873 Taxa named by Arthur Gardiner Butler {{Morphinae-stub