What is the life cycle of the blue morpho butterfly?

What is the life cycle of the 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).

How many eggs do morpho butterflies lay?

Morpho females use a variety of host plants and will lay a single egg on the underside of a leaf. Upon hatching, the first instar larva devours its empty shell, which provides an initial source of carbohydrates and proteins before it begins to feed on the host plant. It takes up to 12 days for the egg to hatch.

What caterpillar turns into a blue morpho butterfly?

Blue Morpho caterpillars are a red brown color, with little patches of green. After a little while, the caterpillar forms a protective covering around its body called a chrysalis. While hanging from the tree, the caterpillar is inside the chrysalis, transforming into a beautiful butterfly.

What do blue morpho butterflies eat for kids?

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. Blue morpho caterpillars are especially fond of leaves in the pea family.

What is the biggest butterfly in the world?

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing, the largest butterfly in the world with a wingspan of 30cm—at least 10 times the size of common butterflies—was discovered in Papua New Guinea in 1906. More than a century later, one of the world’s rarest species has become the most endangered.

What eats a blue morpho butterfly?

Aside from humans, birds like the jacamar and flycatcher are the adult butterfly’s natural predators.

How many babies does a butterfly have?

A female butterfly only lays eggs over a 2-5 week period. During this time, she probably lays an average of 300-400 eggs in the wild. Numbers in captivity are higher – about 500-700 depending on things like temperature and the conditions under which the female is kept.

How much is a blue morpho butterfly worth?

Butterflies SHOP

item # name price
Mor185 Morpho cypris cypris AKA: Cypris Morpho cypris Blue Morpho $90.00
Mor350 A- Morpho rhetenor cacica A- AKA: Electric Blue Morpho $18.95
CRCH-Mor405B A- Morpho telemachus perseus (Blue Form) A- AKA: Perseus Morpho A- $12.95
Mor190F Morpho deidamia annae FEMALE AKA: Blue Banded Morpho $24.95

Is a blue caterpillar real?

Different coloured forms of caterpillar are common amongst many broods of moths. Most are well recorded forms but occasionally an unusual coloured one occurs. This was the first blue Elephant hawkmoth caterpillar I’d ever come across or seen reference to.

How long do morpho butterflies 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 live for?

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 are the enemies of a blue morpho butterfly?

Blue Morpho butterflies have few enemies – including humans . Because of that, only birds that have adapted to eating poisonous insects such as bees and wasps can consume morpho… Usually, those birds are jacamars or other flycatcher species. The main threat for the morpho butterflies is humans. One

What does a blue morpho butterfly live with?

Blue Morpho Butterfly Information. Blue morphos are large, brilliant blue butterflies that live in the forests of South and Central America , and also in parts of North America. Due to their striking looks and size, they are one of the best-known butterflies, and a favorite rainforest species.

What are the stages of a butterfly?

Butterflies, moths, beetles, flies and bees have complete metamorphosis. The young (called a larva instead of a nymph) is very different from the adults. It also usually eats different types of food. There are four stages in the metamorphosis of butterflies and moths: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.