Morpho Mso 300

[Mireille Kreines]

Many names attach to the genus Morpho. The genus has also been divided into subgenera. Hundreds of form, variety, and aberration names are used among Morpho species and subspecies. One lepidopterist[3] includes all such species within a single genus, and synonymized many names in a limited number of species. Two other lepidopterists[4] use a phylogenetic analysis with different nomenclature. Other authorities accept many more species.[5]

Many morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blues and greens. These colors are not a result of pigmentation, but are an example of iridescence through structural coloration. Specifically, the microscopic scales covering the morpho's wings reflect incident light repeatedly at successive layers, leading to interference effects that depend on both wavelength and angle of incidence/observance.[8] Thus, the colors appear to vary with viewing angle, but they are surprisingly uniform, perhaps due to the tetrahedral (diamond-like) structural arrangement of the scales or diffraction from overlying cell layers. The wide-angle blue reflection property can be explained by exploring the nanostructures in the scales of the morpho butterfly wings.[9] These optically active structures integrate three design principles leading to the wide-angle reflection: Christmas tree-like shaped ridges, alternating lamellae layers (or "branches"), and a small height offset between neighboring ridges. The reflection spectrum is found to be broad (about 90 nm) for alternating layers and can be controlled by varying the design pattern. The Christmas tree-like pattern helps to reduce the directionality of the reflectance by creating an impedance matching for blue wavelengths. In addition, the height offset between neighboring ridges increases the intensity of reflection for a wide range of angles. This structure may be likened to a photonic crystal. The lamellate structure of their wing scales has been studied as a model in the development of biomimetic fabrics, dye-free paints, and anticounterfeit technology used in currency.

The ventral side is decorated with ocelli (eyespots). In some species, such as M. godarti, the dorsal lamellae are so thin that ventral ocelli can peek through. While not all morphos have iridescent coloration, they all have ocelli. In most species, only the males are colorful, supporting the theory that the coloration is used for intrasexual communication between males. The lamellae reflect up to 70% of light falling on them, including any ultraviolet. The eyes of morpho butterflies are thought to be highly sensitive to UV light, so the males are able to see each other from great distances. Some South American species are reportedly visible to the human eye up to one kilometer away.

Also, a number of other species exist which are tawny orange or dark brown (for instance M. hecuba and M. telemachus). Some species are white, principal among these being M. catenarius and M. laertes. An unusual species, fundamentally white in coloration, but which exhibits a stunning pearlescent purple and teal iridescence when viewed at certain angles, is the rare M. sulkowskyi. Some Andean species are small and delicate (M. lympharis). Among the metallic blue Morpho species, M. rhetenor stands out as the most iridescent of all, with M. cypris a close second. Indeed, M. cypris is notable in that specimens mounted in entomological collections exhibit color differences across the wings if they are not 'set' perfectly flat. Many species, like M. cypris and M. rhetenor helena have a white stripe pattern on their colored blue wings as well.[10]

The larvae hatch from pale-green, dewdrop-like eggs. The caterpillars have reddish-brown bodies with bright lime-green or yellow patches on their backs. Its hairs are irritating to human skin, and when disturbed it secretes a fluid that smells like rancid butter from eversible glands on the thorax. The strong odor is a defense against predators. They feed on a variety of plants. The caterpillar molts five times before entering the pupal stage. The bulbous chrysalis is pale green or jade green and emits a repulsive, ultrasonic sound when touched.[16] It is suspended from a stem or leaf of the food plant.[17]

The adults live for about two to three weeks. They feed on the fluids of fermenting fruit, decomposing animals, tree sap, fungi, and nutrient-rich mud.[18] They are poisonous to predators due to toxins they sequestered from plants on which they fed as caterpillars.

The more common blue morphos are reared en masse in commercial breeding programs. The iridescent wings are used in the manufacture of jewelry and as inlay in woodworking. Papered specimens are sold with the abdomen removed to prevent its oily contents from staining the wings. Significant numbers of live specimens are exported as pupae from several Neotropical countries for exhibition in butterfly houses. Unfortunately, due to their irregular flight pattern and size, their wings are frequently damaged when in captivity.

According to Penz and DeVries[4] the ancestral diet of larval Satyrinae is Poaceae or other monocots. Many morphos have switched to dicots on several occasions during their evolutionary history, but basal species have retained the monocot diets.

Morpho butterflies, often very expensive, have always been prized by extremely wealthy collectors. Famous collections include those of the London jeweler Dru Drury and the Dutch merchant Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, the Paris diplomat Georges Rousseau-Decelle, the financier Walter Rothschild, the Romanov Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia and the, English and German respectively, businessmen James John Joicey and Curt Eisner. In earlier years, Morphos graced cabinets of curiosities "Kunstkamera" and royal cabinets of natural history notably those of Tsar of Russia Peter the Great, the Austrian empress Maria Theresa and Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden. More famous is Maria Sibylla Merian, who was not wealthy.

The people along the Rio Negro in Brazil once exploited the territorial habits of the blue morpho (M. menelaus) by luring them into clearings with bright blue decoys. The collected butterfly wings were used as embellishment for ceremonial masks. Adult morpho butterflies feed on the juices of fermenting fruit with which they may also be lured. The butterflies wobble in flight and are easy to catch.

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Luke says, 'The blue morpho makes my work a little easier. Its emergence success rate (when a butterfly safely breaks out of its chrysalis and survives) is nearly 100% and it flies in virtually all weather conditions, so even on a dull rainy day this showy butterfly will be dancing about mingling with visitors.'

Luke explains, 'We had blue morphos breeding in the butterfly house one year. We were very excited about all of the tiny tufted caterpillars that appeared, but sadly we only ended up with one very large caterpillar - it had eaten all the others.'

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TOKYO and ROCKVILLE, Md., March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Kenji Yasukawa, Ph.D., "Astellas") and the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) today announced topline results from the Phase 3 MORPHO clinical trial evaluating gilteritinib as a maintenance therapy following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for patients with FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)-internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Based on the data, the study did not meet its pre-defined primary endpoint of relapse-free survival (RFS) for patients treated with gilteritinib compared to placebo. The study was conducted in collaboration with BMT CTN.

The Phase 3 MORPHO trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial that compares gilteritinib to placebo as maintenance therapy over a period of two years following HSCT in 356 patients with FLT3-ITD mutated AML and in remission after induction therapy. The most frequent treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were decrease in neutrophil count, diarrhea and nausea, which were generally consistent with previous studies of gilteritinib. Detailed results will be submitted for publication and for consideration at upcoming medical meetings. Since RFS was not statistically significant at the primary analysis, the study, including follow-up, will be stopped as per the study protocol.

"While we are disappointed by these results, we remain committed to providing AML patients with treatment options throughout the disease continuum," said Ahsan Arozullah, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Vice President and Head of Development Therapeutic Areas, Astellas. "We will be conducting a thorough review of the full data set and plan to share detailed results in the future."

"Though the Phase 3 MORPHO clinical trial did not meet its primary endpoint, we are proud of the fact that we were able to garner international cooperation to address this important question in a rare disease," said Mary M. Horowitz, M.D., Principal Investigator of the BMT CTN Data and Coordination Center. "In collaboration with Astellas, we will continue the evaluation of the study results, which included multiple clinically meaningful secondary endpoints, and assess their impact on AML patient care."

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