Is Morpho cypris being reared commercially?

[Papilio_indra]

A friend of mine who is not a part of this forum asked if I would inquire about this species. He is trying to obtain papered ex pupae specimens (just males) of this species but has only been able to purchase A1 - A- specimens that typically show a few minor scratches on the forewings and were likely wild captures. For retail marketing purposes, framed butterflies that are advertised as farmed apparently sell better than those caught in the wild as some customers are sensitive to the origins of the specimens. I know that quite a few different species of Morpho are bred, including some closely related species, but M. cypris seems to be more challenging. Has anyone heard of any breeding programs for this butterfly? Thanks.

[Trehopr1]

I have not heard of this species being produced commercially. Actually, I believe only a very few morpho are produced as a market item. Whereas, far more species are actually wild caught.

The inherent problem with producing anything for sheer numbers and a tireless market is that all of a sudden something that was moderately expensive (or just plain expensive); all of a sudden takes a nose dive in price and in value !

The males of this fabulous species are right now fetching about $90 retail or more. There are 6 subspecies of it and some such as aphrodite and bugaba which are far less encountered and (most desired) are relatively scarce and are more like $110 - 150 a piece.

Certainly some species are likely difficult to raise and certain species we may have very little knowledge of in general.

Morpho didius now seems to be the species produced for greater consumption. It replaced M. menelaus many years ago as that species was for quite a long time the go to species for all sorts of framing and butterfly artwork.

So, in short I think it's all about holding the value that morphos do. They still remain wildly popular to both true collectors as well as those who just want a very attractive framed butterfly in their office or home.

I'm sure a true morpho specialist would have something more to say about this species in particular but, I think the reason I have given is very plausible.

[Papilio_indra]

Thanks Trehopr1 for your insights. We saw what happened to the price of many Ornithoptera species when reared specimens became available in huge numbers. About 40 years ago I purchased a pair of O. p. poseidon for $25, which would be about $75 today adjusted for inflation.

I would think that someone living in M. cypris habitat could net some wild females and release them into a sizable flight house with known host plants to obtain ova. That would be the hard part which I think is actually quite doable. The financial incentive to a Columbian entrepreneur to provide ex pupae specimens could be great.

[Chuck]

The challenge to breeding morphos commercially isn't the breeding, it's the risk and logistics to get to market.

By far the greatest demand for morphos is the artwork people, and the buyers don't care which species so long as it's blue.

[livingplanet3]

I'm not sure if I've ever actually seen a confirmed photo of the larva of M. cypris, but here is an alleged photo of one -

https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/13009274

Morphos (at least some of them) are associated with Fabaceae (M. peleides has even been reared on clover in captivity). M. portis however, feeds on bamboo genera such as Bambusa and Chusquea. Inga marginata (Fabaceae subfamily Caesalpinioideae) is said to be a preferred host plant of cypris in Costa Rica.

Here's a link to a 1993 paper on cypris -

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25010034

[Papilio_indra]

Thank you for the links Livingplanet3. There is a photo of a similar larva of M. cypris (identified as such but not confirmed) on iNaturalist.

It's looking like this species is not reared commercially.