Didius Blue Morpho vs Blue-frosted Banner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Didius Blue Morpho Blue-frosted Banner
Scientific Name Morpho didius Catonephele numilia
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Nymphalidae
Size 130-150 mm wingspan 55-70 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions South America (Peru) South America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Didius Blue Morpho

One of the largest Morpho butterflies, with a wingspan reaching up to 150 mm. The males display brilliant metallic blue upperwings, while the underwings are brown with prominent eyespots. Found in cloud forests of Peru at elevations between 800 and 1800 meters.

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Did You Know?

The iridescent blue color is not from pigment but from microscopic scales that refract light, a principle now used in anti-counterfeiting technology.

Blue-frosted Banner

A sexually dimorphic butterfly where males are velvety black with bright orange bands and females are dark brown with yellow spots. The sexes look so different they were originally described as separate species. It is common in forest gaps and along watercourses.

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Did You Know?

Males and females look so different that they were classified as separate species for over a century until breeding experiments revealed their true identity.