What is the life cycle of a blue morpho butterfly?

The lifespan of the Blue Morpho is around four months. Most of their time is spent feeding and reproducing. All butterflies have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and imago (adult). The changes they undergo during their life cycle is called metamorphosis.

What does morpho butterfly eat?

An adult blue morpho – like all butterflies – drinks its food rather than eats it. It uses its proboscis (long, protruding mouth part) to drink sap and fruit juices. But like all butterflies, adult morphos were plant-chomping caterpillars as youngsters.

How long do blue Morphos live?

115 days
The blue morpho’s entire lifespan lasts only 115 days, which means most of their time is spent eating and reproducing.

How long does a blue morpho butterfly stay in a chrysalis?

After about 8 weeks of eating and storing up fat, the caterpillar has enough energy stored up to form the chrysalis. The chrysalis stage can last anywhere from a week to a few months, environmental factors play a huge role and the Morpho will time its emergence to align with the rainy season.

Are morpho butterflies rare?

Unfortunately, Blue Morphos face many potential predators and threats in their rainforest home. Whilst not directly endangered, like many Amazon species they are threatened by deforestation and habitat fragmentation.

How big can a blue morpho butterfly get?

The Morpho Butterfly is one of the largest among all butterfly species in the world. The wingspan of this Blue Morpho Butterfly measures up to 8 in (20 cm). Its size is fifteen times bigger than the Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly, whose wingspan is just 0.5 in (1.3 cm).

Are blue morpho butterfly actually blue?

The morpho butterfly appears blue but it isn’t actually. It looks blue not because of pigment but because of some very fancy scales on its wings.

What is the life cycle of a morpho butterfly?

Life cycle The entire life cycle of the morpho butterfly, from egg to death, is about 115 days.

Do blue morpho butterflies fly in the rain?

The shiny covering on top of the wing is also very hydrophobic and repels water, so blue morphos are one of the few butterflies that will fly in the rain. The average lifespan of the blue morpho butterfly is 115 days.

What is the larval stage of Morpho peleides?

Larvae: The larval stage of Morpho peleides has five instars or molts. All stages of larvae are known to feed at dawn and dusk (Young and Muyshondt 1972a). When they are not feeding, the larvae remain motionless (Young 1972).

What do Morpho butterflies eat?

The Morpho butterfly drinks its food rather than eats it. It uses its proboscis (long, protruding mouth part) to drink sap and fruit juices. Morpho butterflies taste with sensors on their legs and taste-smell the air with their antennae.