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Achilles Morpho
Morpho achilles
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumArthropoda (Arthropods)
- ClassInsecta (Insects)
- OrderLepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- FamilyNymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
- GenusMorpho (Morphos)
- SpeciesMorpho achilles (Achilles Morpho)
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
20 Verified sightings at Manu National Park From 2019 to 2026
45 In all 4 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Achilles Morpho
Morpho achilles, the Achilles morpho, blue-banded morpho, or banded blue morpho, is a Neotropical butterfly. The genus name Morpho comes from the Greek epithet of Aphrodite, goddess of love. Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character of Homer's Iliad.
In Morpho achilles patroclus, the dorsal sides of the forewings are black, with two broad vertical bands of brilliant blue. The undersides of the hindwings are olive brownish, with several ocelli formed by blue, yellow, and red concentric rings. Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Achilles Morpho in Manu National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsberg Nature Park | 🇸🇷 Suriname | |
| 2 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 4 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Closest Relatives at Manu National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing an Achilles Morpho in Manu National Park?
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Achilles Morpho sighting in Manu National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 59th most-seen of the 366 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see an Achilles Morpho in Manu National Park?
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Achilles Morpho in Manu National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April and June, the lowest months. That is one of Manu National Park's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 290 mm in February.
What time of day is best to see an Achilles Morpho?
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Achilles Morpho sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Manu National Park the best place to see an Achilles Morpho?
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Achilles Morpho sightings, Manu National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Brownsberg Nature Park (Suriname, about 40%).
Which relatives of the Achilles Morpho live in Manu National Park?
Same genus: Morpho
The closest relatives of the Achilles Morpho that you can see in Manu National Park (genus Morpho, Morphos) are Common Morpho (about 10%) and Scarce Morpho (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Achilles Morpho sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Achilles Morpho is recorded against all the insects logged in Manu National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
