| Menelaus blue morpho | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Morpho |
| Species: | M. menelaus
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| Binomial name | |
| Morpho menelaus | |
The Menelaus blue morpho (Morpho menelaus) is one of thirty species of butterfly in the subfamily Morphinae.[1] Its wingspan is approximately 12 cm (4.7"), and its dorsal forewings and hindwings are a bright, iridescent blue edged with black, while the ventral surfaces are brown.[2] Its iridescent wings are an area of interest in research because of their unique microstructure.[3] Due to its characteristic blue color, Morpho menelaus is considered valuable among collectors and was widely hunted in the 20th century.[4]
- ^ DeVries, P. J.; Penz, Carla M.; Hill, Ryan I. (2010-09-01). "Vertical distribution, flight behaviour and evolution of wing morphology in Morpho butterflies". Journal of Animal Ecology. 79 (5): 1077–1085. Bibcode:2010JAnEc..79.1077D. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01710.x. ISSN 1365-2656. PMID 20487088.
- ^ Liu, Feng; Liu, Yuping; Huang, Lei; Hu, Xinhua; Dong, Biqin; Shi, Wangzhou; Xie, Yiqun; Ye, Xiang (2011-05-01). "Replication of homologous optical and hydrophobic features by templating wings of butterflies Morpho menelaus". Optics Communications. 284 (9): 2376–2381. Bibcode:2011OptCo.284.2376L. doi:10.1016/j.optcom.2011.01.017.
- ^ Niu, Shichao; Li, Bo; Mu, Zhengzhi; Yang, Meng; Zhang, Junqiu; Han, Zhiwu; Ren, Luquan (2015-04-01). "Excellent Structure-Based Multifunction of Morpho Butterfly Wings: A Review". Journal of Bionic Engineering. 12 (2): 170–189. doi:10.1016/S1672-6529(14)60111-6. S2CID 137334058.
- ^ Penz, Carla M.; Devries, Philip J.; Wahlberg, Niklas (2012-10-01). "Diversification of Morpho butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae): a re-evaluation of morphological characters and new insight from DNA sequence data". Systematic Entomology. 37 (4): 670–685. Bibcode:2012SysEn..37..670P. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2012.00636.x. ISSN 1365-3113. S2CID 86232372.