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Morpho Paleides


Morpho Paleides
Photo Information
Copyright: Thijs van Balen jr (Pentaxfriend) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 486 W: 23 N: 1461] (5763)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-01-22
Categories: Insects
Camera: Pentax K10D, Tamron SP 90mm F/2.8 Macro 1:1, ISO 200, 55mm B+W Skylight KR1,5
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/125 seconds
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-01-25 7:34
Viewed: 569
Points: 14
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Morpho
Species: M. peleides
Binomial name: Morpho peleides


The Peleides Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) is an iridescent tropical butterfly found in Mexico, Central America, northern South America,Paraguay and Trinidad.

The Blue Morpho Butterfly (Morpho Peleides) drinks the juices from rotting fruits for food. Blue Morpho butterflies live in the rainforests of South America, and can be found in Mexico and Central America.The wingspan of the Blue Morpho butterfly ranges from 7.5 cm to 20 cm.The entire Blue Morpho Butterfly lifecycle, from egg to adult is only 115 days. The larvae of Blue Morpho Butterflies are cannibals. The caterpillar blue morpho butterfly is red-brown with patches of bright green. The brilliant blue color in the butterfly's wings is caused by the diffraction of the light from millions of tiny scales on its wings. It uses this to frighten away predators, by flashing its wings rapidly. The Blue Morpho Butterflies stick together in groups to deter their predators. A form of Mobbing behavior.

There are over 80 different species of the Morpho butterfly.

" "Source""


Physical description
Many Morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blue and green. These colors are not a result of pigmentation but rather are an example of iridescence: the extremely fine lamellated scales covering the Morpho's wings reflect incident light repeatedly at successive layers, leading to interference effects that depend on both wavelength and angle of incidence/observance. Thus the colors produced vary with viewing angle, however they are actually surprisingly uniform, perhaps due to the tetrahedral (diamond-like) structural arrangement of the scales or diffraction from overlying cell layers. This structure may be called a photonic crystal. The iridescent lamellae are present on the dorsal side of their wings only, leaving the ventral side a drab brown.

The ventral side is decorated with ocelli or eyespots. In some species, such as M. godarti, the dorsal lamellae are so thin as to allow the ventral ocelli to peek through. While not all Morphos have iridescent coloration, they all have ocelli. In most species only the males are colorful, a fact supporting the theory that the coloration is used for intrasexual communication between males. The lamellae reflect up to 70% of light falling on them, including any UV. The eyes of Morpho butterflies are thought to be highly sensitive to UV light and therefore the males are able to see each other from great distances. Some South American species are reportedly visible by the human eye up to one kilometer away.

There also exist a number of white Morpho species, principal among these being M. catenarius and M. laertes. An unusual species that is fundamentally white in coloration, but which exhibits a stunning purple iridescence when viewed at certain angles is the rare M. sulkowskyi, while among the metallic blue Morpho species, M. rhetenor stands out as the most iridescence of all, with M. cypris a close second. Indeed, M. cypris is notable in that specimens that are mounted in entomological collections will exhibit color differences across the wings if they are not 'set' perfectly flat.

" "More info""
Arjun, carper, nglen, rousettus has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Goede scherpte en compo, Thijs.
Over 'flash' heb ik mijn mening al her en der rondgestrooid;-)
Goed gedaan
Bedankt
Annick

Thijs, What a marvelous butterfly. Good use of flash to bring out colors. Excellent picture.

Regards,
Murali Santhanam

  • Great 
  • Arjun Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 309 W: 3 N: 783] (3762)
  • [2008-01-25 9:09]

hi,
lovely picture..great composition with rich details,
tfs

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2192 W: 124 N: 2600] (8410)
  • [2008-01-25 10:33]

ah Thijs,
onze grote blauwe vriend die fotogeniek is en altijd... blijft zitten voor de camera. mooie foto Thijs alleen het door laten lopen van de foto in het frame, wel daar ben ik zelf geen voorstander van. Heel mooie fotowerk.
groet Jaap en goed weekend.

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2224 W: 10 N: 6266] (23542)
  • [2008-01-25 12:48]

Hi Thijs. A good close up shot of the Butterfly. You have captured the markings so well against the dark BG. good colours and detail. with a nice POV. well done TFS.
Nick..

Hello Thijs,
what a nice macro of this beautiful butterfly with great focus, POV and frame. Nicely composed, especiall dark BG and green leaves great for contrast. Good notes. TFS, well done
Ahmet

Hello Thijs, wonderfull quality of detail in nice light. excellent dof, great pov and composition tfs rgds Necip.

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