The forewings are brilliant blue. The margin is  broad and black. There is a dark brown area from the body to the middle of wing.
The underside is brown and marmorate. There is a chain of four very big eyes.

The hind wings are black. Nearby the body there is a brilliant blue area. At the margin there is a chain of blue spots.
The underside is brown and marmorate. There are four big eyes, but one of this eyes looks like a tooth.

The body is brown and whitish.

Sex differences: The female is light brown and has no brilliant blue scales. At the margin on hind wings there is a chain of yellow spots. Some structures of underside shows though.

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The first description of this butterfly was in 1860 by C. & R. Felder. There are two subspecies.

• Morpho cisseis gahua  
• Morpho cisseis phanodemus   [Hewitson,1869]

The brilliant blue is a characteristic of nearly all members of genus Morpho. The phenomenal microscopic structure of scales excite interference, which erase all wavelength of light except for blue light. Therefore the wings are blue although there are no pigments.

• CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):
  
  -no entry- (as at 23.06.2005)
  
  
• EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora
  
  -no entry- (as at 19.08.2005)
  
  
• IUCN Red List of threatened species:
  
  -no entry- (as at 2004)  (see: www.redlist.org/)
  
  
  

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Morpho cisseis C. & R. Felder 1860

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• Kingdom:    ANIMALIA
• Phylum:    ARTHROPODA
• Class:    INSECTA
• Order:    LEPIDOPTERA
• Suborder:    DITRYSIA
• Superfamily:    PAPILIONOIDEA
• Family:    NYMPHALIDAE
• Subfamilie:    MORPHINAE
• Tribe:    MORPHINI
• Subtribe:   MORPHINA
• Genus:    MORPHO
• Specific name:    CISSEIS

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NEOTROPIC (South America)

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