The butterfly Morpho helenor peleides (Kollar) is negatively impacted by the fragmentation of Tropical Dry Forests (TDF), as disturbances in vegetation structure may alter the availability of host plants for immature stages, potentially disrupting its life cycle. To assess variations in the life cycle of this species under natural conditions at the Santuario de Fauna y Flora Los Colorados, a protected area of the Colombian Caribbean Region. A “vivarium” was constructed and stocked with 18 adults of M. helenor peleides. Individuals were provided with a fruit-based diet and monitored daily to document behavioral patterns, and oviposited eggs were collected for further analysis. In total, 187 eggs were obtained and distributed into three treatment groups: control (hermetically sealed and removed from the study site), protected (retained in the study area with predator exclusion), and unprotected (exposed to natural predation). Detailed morphological and morphometric descriptions were performed for eggs, larvae, and pupae. The horizontal life table method was applied to estimate survival and mortality rates across immature stages, net reproductive rate, and mean generation time. Natural enemies were identified to the genus or family levels. Under natural conditions, the complete life cycle of M. helenor peleides lasted 86 d (±2). Higher survival rates were recorded during the egg and early larval instar, except during the fifth instar. The findings underscore the importance of evaluating species–environment interactions under natural conditions, as life history parameters differed markedly from those reported under captive conditions in previous studies.

Morpho butterflies have the potential to act as a bioindicator species, since they are sensitive to changes in land uses and forest degradation; there have been few population studies of butterflies in the Caribbean region of Colombia. In this study, we aimed to analyze and characterize the population structure of M. helenor peleides and evaluate its variation across different land uses. We used the capture-mark and release technique, with 50 VanSomeren–Rydon type traps distributed in five sampling units with different land uses (forest, restoration areas, and pasture areas); temperature and luminosity were also measured. Butterflies were wing-marked and subsequently released. Sampling was carried out between June and September 2023. Jolly–Seber population models were constructed using the R code to obtain population size (N_i), survival rate, and recruitment; also, other parameters were analyzed (abundance of the imagines, average sex ratio-ASR, displacement, permanence, and age). A total of 876 butterflies were tagged and released, and 33.7% were recaptured. Butterfly abundance was concentrated in conserved sampling units in the forest. The N_i ranged from 25 to 845 individuals within the population, and individual displacement and permanence were restricted in the forest, ASR was significantly male-skewed. The land use directly influenced the population structure of M. helenor peleides, suggesting that conserved areas are key to population persistence.