| Morphinae | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Subfamily: | Morphinae |
| Tribes | |
(but see text) | |
The Morphinae are a subfamily of Nymphalidae butterflies that includes the morphos, the owl butterflies (Caligo), and related lineages. It is either considered a sister group of the Satyrinae, or disassembled and included therein.
This group sometimes includes the monotypic (sub)tribe Biina, otherwise placed in the Brassolini. [1] This group is the subject of intense study and the following classification is subject to modification. [2]
Listed alphabetically by tribe. [3]
Tribe Amathusiini (sometimes considered a distinct subfamily Amathusiinae):
Tribe Brassolini (previously considered a distinct subfamily Brassolinae):
Tribe Morphini:
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world, belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea. These are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called brush-footed butterflies or four-footed butterflies, because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up; in some species, these forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name. Many species are brightly coloured and include popular species such as the emperors, monarch butterfly, admirals, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries. However, the under wings are, in contrast, often dull and in some species look remarkably like dead leaves, or are much paler, producing a cryptic effect that helps the butterflies blend into their surroundings.
The morpho butterflies comprise many species of Neotropical butterfly under the genus Morpho. This genus includes over 29 accepted species and 147 accepted subspecies, found mostly in South America, Mexico, and Central America. Morpho wingspans range from 7.5 cm (3.0 in) for M. rhodopteron to 20 cm (7.9 in) for M. hecuba, the imposing sunset morpho. The name morpho, meaning "changed" or "modified", is also an epithet.
The superfamily Papilionoidea contains all the butterflies except for the moth-like Hedyloidea.
The Nymphalinae are a subfamily of brush-footed butterflies. Sometimes, the subfamilies Limenitidinae, and Biblidinae are included here as subordinate tribe(s), while the tribe Melitaeini is occasionally regarded as a distinct subfamily.
The Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a subfamily of the Nymphalidae. They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies. The true number of the Satyrinae species is estimated to exceed 2400.
Biblidinae is the name for a subfamily of nymphalid butterflies that includes the tropical brushfoots. This subfamily was sometimes merged within the Limenitidinae, but they are now recognized as quite distinct lineages. In older literature, this subfamily is sometimes called Eurytelinae.
The Haeterini are one of the smaller tribes of the Satyrinae in the Nymphalidae family. The tribe occurs exclusively in tropical rain forests in the Neotropical realm.
The Elymniini, or true browns, are one of the large tribes of the browns subfamily (Satyrinae) in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). Sometimes, they are elevated to subfamily status as Elymniinae.
The butterfly subtribe Euptychiina is a diverse group within the tribe Satyrini, occurring throughout Central and South America, in addition to a few species known from North America. Euptychiina is a predominantly lowland group, with the exception of one Asian taxon Palaeonympha opalina Butler, 1871 and the Andean genus Forsterinaria Gray, 1973.
Caligo eurilochus, the forest giant owl, is an owl butterfly ranging from Mexico, through Central America, to the Amazon River basin in South America. The type locality is Suriname.
Morpho amathonte is a Neotropical butterfly belonging to the subfamily Morphinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is considered, by some authors, to be a subspecies of Morpho menelaus.
Brassolini is a tribe usually placed in the brush-footed butterfly subfamily Morphinae, which is often included in the Satyrinae as a tribe Morphini. If this is accepted, the Brassolini become the sister tribe of the Morphini among the Satyrinae. Formerly, they were treated as an independent family Brassolidae or subfamily Brassolinae. Many members of this tribe are called owl butterflies.
Bia actorion, the uncertain owlet, bia owl or Actorion owlet, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the upper Amazon areas of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Morpho catenarius is a Neotropical butterfly belonging to the subfamily Morphinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is considered, by some authors, to be a subspecies of Morpho epistrophus.
Morpho didius, the giant blue morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly belonging to the subfamily Morphinae of family Nymphalidae. It is considered, by some authors, to be a subspecies of Morpho menelaus.
Pronophilina is a Neotropical subtribe of butterflies of the subfamily Satyrinae. They are a species-rich group with highest diversity in the tropical and subtropical mountains, especially the Andes. Before 1970, they were poorly studied, but recent interest has resulted in high rates of species description from previously unexplored mountain ranges. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on their biology and ecology. Their relationship to other groups of Satyrine butterflies and their complex patterns of speciation within and among mountain ranges have led to several biogeographic discussions.
Taygetis is a genus of satyrid butterflies found in the Neotropical realm.
Guaianaza is a monotypic butterfly genus of the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. Guaianaza is considered a synonym of the genus Forsterinaria Gray, 1973. Its single species, Guaianaza pronophila, is found in the Neotropical realm.
Argyrophorus is a butterfly genus from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. It is distributed between Chile, Argentina and Perú. The systematic and circumscription of the genus is disputed.
Carla Maria Penz is a butterfly comparative morphologist and systematist, and the Doris Zemurray Stone Chair in Biodiversity at the University of New Orleans. Her research also focuses on natural history and behavior, mostly of neotropical butterflies.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morphinae . |
 | Wikispecies has information related to Morphinae |
 | This Morphinae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |