Morphinae

Morphinae is the subfamily highlighted by the exuberant blue Morphos (genus Morpho) and the large Owls (genus Caligo) with their big eyespots on the wings. According to Lamas (2004) 135 species are registered in the subfamily, subdivided into two tribes: the Morphini (Antirrhea, Caerois, Morpho) and the Brassolini (Bia, Caligo, Caligopsis, Catoblepia, Opsiphanes and others). There are about 30 Morpho species, many splitted into dozens of subspecies.

Most Morphine butterflies are common in the shaded understory of forests, but with the exception of the diurnal Morphos, are rarely observed due to their unconspiceous (cryptic) coloration of the underwings shown when they rest.

In some regions of Brazil several subspecies of Morpho are endangered due to the desctruction of their habitat (Freitas & Marini Filho, 2011).