Splendid Morphos menelaus

New glass entomological box (26x33x6cm) containing four splendid Morphos menelaus, subspecies terrestris, two males above and two females below, showing the very marked sexual dimorphism in this species. The males above have almost uniformly iridescent metallic blue uppersides, with the exception of a narrow black border. Females, on the other hand, as is often the case with butterflies, are larger and, above all, of a less pronounced and much less iridescent blue, with a very broad light-brown border adorned with white spots on both forewings and hindwings. As with most Morpho species, the underside of both males and females is a more or less dark camouflage brown.
Morpho menelaus is one of the largest morphos, especially for females (here 14.5 cm wingspan between the outer edges of the forewings, but reaching 18 to 20 cm for the largest females). Although the males are a little smaller, the intense electric-blue coloring of their upper wings has given them their common name of "big blue morpho". M. menelaus is found in the dense equatorial forests of the Brazilian state of Para, as well as in French Guiana. On this subject, let's recall the story of Eugène Le Moult, a young Breton with a passion for entomology who, in the twenties of the last century, followed his father, who had just been appointed director of the Cayenne penal colony in French Guiana, and "hired" convicts for a few cigarettes to hunt butterflies for him, in particular Morphos, of which he became the world's leading collector and seller.
The box is new and the butterflies in perfect condition.