Wing eyespot. Close-up of the wing of the female butterfly Morpho peleides, showing an eyespot. Under the wing this eyespot has the typical red centre; it resembles the eye of a larger animal and can serve as a device to startle predators when the wings are suddenly lifted. Whereas the female wing of Morpho peleides is largely brown in colour, the male wing is an exquisite iridescent blue and used for sexual attraction. Morpho is a member of the family Morphidae; there are about 50 species of butterfly in this family, found in South America where they circle tall rainforest trees and only rarely descend to the ground.