Sulkowsky's Morpho vs Blood-red Cymothoe

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sulkowsky's Morpho Blood-red Cymothoe
Scientific Name Morpho sulkowskyi Cymothoe sangaris
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Nymphalidae
Size 90-110 mm wingspan 55-70 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Blood Feeders
Regions South America (Peru, Bolivia, Colombia) Central Africa (Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, DRC)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sulkowsky's Morpho

A high-altitude Morpho butterfly with translucent, pearly-white wings that display a subtle blue iridescence. Unlike most Morpho species, its wings are semi-transparent and appear to glow in sunlight. It frequents cloud forest clearings in the Andes.

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Did You Know?

Its translucent wings produce an unusual pearl-like sheen caused by a combination of structural coloration and very thin wing membranes.

Blood-red Cymothoe

A strikingly sexually dimorphic butterfly where males are vivid blood-red and females are brown with white bands. It is one of the most recognizable butterflies in Central African forests. Flight is relatively slow and gliding.

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Did You Know?

The blood-red coloration of males is so vivid that early European explorers initially mistook them for a different species from the brown females.