Head to head
Glasswing Butterfly vs Blue Morpho Butterfly
Glasswing Butterfly
VS Blue Morpho Butterfly
The glasswing butterfly and blue morpho are two Neotropical rainforest butterflies whose appearance comes from microscopic wing structure, one by making the wings clear and the other by making them blue.
| Glasswing Butterfly | Blue Morpho Butterfly | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Greta oto | Morpho peleides |
| Wings | Clear wings with opaque dark borders, a rare trait among butterflies | Brilliant blue upper wings edged with a dark border |
| How it works | Tiny pillar-like structures on the wing surface reduce reflection, so the wings look nearly invisible | Microscopic scale structures scatter light, producing blue without any blue pigment |
| Underside or defence | Toxic chemicals from the plants it feeds on make it unpalatable to predators | A dull brown underside with eyespots provides camouflage when the wings are closed |
| Diet | Adults feed on nectar, and caterpillars eat the leaves of nightshade-family plants | Adults feed mainly on fermenting fruit juice, tree sap, and fungi rather than flower nectar |
| In flight | Flies slowly through shaded forest, where its transparent wings are hard to see | The vivid blue appears and disappears as the wings open and close |
| Range | Rainforest and forest edges from Mexico through Central America to northern South America | Tropical rainforest from Mexico through Central America into South America |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated, though widespread and common | Least Concern, with a stable population |
Glasswing Butterfly vs Blue Morpho Butterfly: common questions
Which butterfly has clear wings?
The glasswing butterfly, whose transparent wings are bordered by opaque dark edges.
Why is the blue morpho blue?
Its blue comes from microscopic scale structures that scatter light, not from any blue pigment.
Where do the glasswing and blue morpho live?
Both live in Neotropical rainforest, the glasswing from Mexico to northern South America and the blue morpho from Mexico through Central America into South America.