Glanville Fritillary vs Aurora Morpho

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Glanville Fritillary Aurora Morpho
Scientific Name Melitaea cinxia Morpho aurora
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Nymphalidae
Size 33-40 mm wingspan 80-100 mm wingspan
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Forests
Diet Herbivores Sap Feeders
Regions Europe, temperate Asia South America (Peru, Bolivia)
Conservation Least Concern (rare in Britain) Least Concern

Glanville Fritillary

An orange and black chequered butterfly confined in Britain to the Isle of Wight's coastal cliffs. It was named after Lady Eleanor Glanville, an eccentric 17th-century collector.

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Did You Know?

Lady Glanville's relatives tried to have her will annulled, claiming only a lunatic would collect butterflies.

Aurora Morpho

A relatively small Morpho butterfly with a distinctive reddish-orange band across its dark brown wings, quite unlike the blue of most relatives. The undersides feature complex brown and ochre patterns with small eyespots. It inhabits montane forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few Morpho species that lacks blue coloration entirely, instead displaying warm orange and brown tones.