Morpho sulkowskyi

Sulkowsky's Morpho
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Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Division:	Rhopalocera
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Tribe:	Morphini
Genus:	Morpho
Species:	M. sulkowskyi
Binomial name
Morpho sulkowskyi (Kollar ,1850)

Sulkowsky's Morpho (Morpho sulkowskyi) 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). Morpho sulkowskyi and Morpho lympharis Butler, 1873 are the sole Morphos occupying this habitat.

Taxonomy

Morpho sulkowskyi and Morpho lympharis may be conspecific.There are several subspecies and many forms have been described.

Subspecies

• Morpho sulkowskyi sulkowskyi V. Kollar, 1850
• Morpho sulkowskyi hoppiana F.W. Niepelt, 1923
• Morpho sulkowskyi selenaris E. Le Moult & P. Réal, 1962
• Morpho sulkowskyi sirene F.W. Niepelt, 1911

Ecozone

Neotropical ecozone

Similar species

Very similar to,and maybe conspecific with Morpho lympharis.

Colors

Iridescent colors of Morpho sulkowskyi are caused by the specific nanostructures on its wings (SEM images at the bottom).

The colors of a Morpho sulkowskyi is white with a holographic shine to them.

Further reading

• 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)ISBN 9780948427046 ISBN 0600313816 page 234 fig.1 (Brazil) and page 235 fig. 9 as ockendeni (Peru).

External links

• Funetfi
• Butterflies of America Images of type and other specimens.

• Fiebig Photographs.