Narrative

Subgenus Morpho with 31 species comprises the rest of the Morpho family. Generally hard to tell apart, they are often simply called Morpho achilles. The group exhibits mimicry and convergent evolution. The taxonomy is as complicated as the Heliconids. Similar species have been grouped together here.

SPECIES - - - - - LOCATION
Morpho deidamia - Venezuela & east Brazil & Bolivia
Morpho neoptolemus - Peru to Obidos, Brazil to Colombia
Morpho brisseis - Peru
Morpho hermione - Colombia
Morpho electra - Bolivia and Venezuela (Disjoint)

Morpho lycanor - Colombia to Venezuela
Morpho granadensis - Colombia to Central America

Morpho rugitaeniata - Colombia
Morpho micropthalmus - Colombia
Morpho taboga - Isle off Panama

Morpho peleides - Venezuela and south Colombia
Morpho marinita - Costa Rica and Panama
Morpho montezuma - Mexico to Panama
Morpho octavia - Guatemala to Costa Rica to Panama
Morpho hyacinthus - Mexico to Panama
Morpho corydon - Venezuela and Colombia
Morpho confusa - Colombia
Morpho peleus - Venezuela
Morpho tobagensis - Caribbean
Morpho parallela - North South America

Morpho helenor - Peru to Colombia to Obidos, Brazil
Morpho papirius - Peru
Morpho achilleana - East Brazil and Amazon Basin
Morpho trojana - Brazil and local populations
Morpho leontius - widespread in South America
Morpho coelestis - Bolivia and eastward

Morpho achilles - Venez. to Obidos, Brazil, to Columbia & Argentina (Disjoint)
Morpho patroclus - Peru to Colombia
Morpho pseudogamedes - Peru to Colombia
Morpho guaraunos - Bolivia and Venezuela (Disjoint)
Morpho vitrea - Bolivia and Venezuela (Disjoint)

Morpho neoptolemus-deidamia subgroup is found from Peru to Colombia to eastern Brazil. This group can be recognized by the silver streaking pattern on the underside of the wings.

Morpho helenor subgroup (helenor, papirius, achilleana, trojana, leontius, and coelestis) generally has a rear wing rounded at the corner farthest from the body near the front wing. Their rear wings are more rounded than in the Morpho achilles subgroup.

Morpho achilles subgroup (achilles, patroclus, pseudogamedes, and guaraunos) has a less rounded rear wing than the Morpho helenor subgroup. The corner of the rear wing farthest from the body has a sharper corner than in the M. helenor subgroup. This sharper corner can be noticed very easily by studying the marginal pattern on the underside of the rear wing. In the achilles subgroup, this pattern ends abruptly along the edge of the rear wing toward the front wings. In the M. helenor subgroup, these marginal lines tend to flow around the corner. There are several mimicry pairs between the Morpho achilles and Morpho helenor subgroups.

Per the Gerardo Lamas list of 2004, the following changes have been made to the taxonomy of this group of Morphos:

Morpho neoptolemus(ssp), brisseis(part of neoptolemus), hermione(ssp), and electra(ssp) are all part of the Morpho deidamia complex.

Morpho lycanor and Morpho granadensis are both subspecies of Morpho deidamia.

Morpho rugitaeniata(ssp), micropthalmus(ssp macropthalmus), and Morpho taboga(ssp narcissus) are all part of Morpho helenor.

Morpho peleides(ssp), marinita(ssp), montezuma(ssp), octavia(ssp), hyacinthus(part of ssp montezma), corydon((ssp), confusa(part of peleides ssp), peleus(ssp), tobagensis(part of ssp insularis), and parallela (part of ssp helenor) are now all part of the Central American and northern mainland Morpho helenor.

Morpho papirius((ssp), achilleana(ssp), trojana(part of ssp achillides), leontius(ssp), and coelestis(ssp) are all part of the mainland Morho helenor.

Morpho patrocles(ssp), pseudogamedes( part of ssp agamedes), guaraunos(ssp) are all part of Morpho achilles.

Morpho vitrea is now a subspecies of Morpho achillles.

(We note that the Morpho helenor group has about 30 subspecies per the Lamas list. We suspect that further research will re-divide this mega species into various full species in due course.)

(For example, we have seen a large series of Morphos from Rio Bravo, Colombia that belonged to either Morpho rugitaeniata or Morpho micropthalmus. If two subspecies fly together and do not interbreed, it might imply that these are in fact separate species.)

(For example, we note that Morpho montezuma and Morpho hyacinthus are two life forms that fly in the tropical lowlands of Central America. These two lifeforms might not belong as part of the mainland Morpho helenor.)

(For example, the totally unique color systems of both Morpho octavia and Morpho marinita of Central America might not belong in mainland species of Morpho helenor.)

(For example, the Andes Morpho patroclus might not belong as part of the lower Amazon lifeform of Morpho helenor.)

Taxonomy

References