Emperor butterfly
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| Name: Morpho menelaus Family: Nymphalidae | ||||||||
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Names in other languages
モルフォチョウ
大蓝闪蝶 Morpho bleu Mariposa celeste Farfalla morfo blu Морфо менелай
몰포나비 大藍閃蝶 Morpho bleu Mariposa celeste Himmelsfalter Blauwe morpho | ||||||||
The Emperor Butterfly (known as the Emperor prior to New Leaf)[nb 1] is a bug in the Animal Crossing series. The Emperor Butterfly first appeared in Animal Crossing: Wild World and has appeared in all subsequent games. It is the only butterfly that can be found in the night.
In the games that the Emperor Butterfly appears in, it is a rare bug that the player can encounter, and can be found flying around flowers. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it can be caught from summer to the start of fall and from winter to the start of spring.
Catch details
In Wild World
In City Folk
"I caught an emperor butterfly! Such royal beauty!"
| Description | Their wings appear to be blue on one side, but quite plain on the other. |
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| Time of year | Jun – Sep |
| Time of day | 7 PM – 8 AM |
| Peak times | N/A |
| Location | Flying near flowers |
| Bug size | 115 mm |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Selling price |  2,500 Bells
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| Furniture size | 
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In New Leaf
"I caught an emperor butterfly! Feeling blue, Your Majesty?"
| Time of year | Jun – Sep All year (Tortimer Island) |
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| Time of day | Mainland: 5 PM - 8 AM Tortimer Island: 7 PM - 8 AM |
| Peak times | N/A |
| Location | Flying near flowers (can be found on Tortimer Island) |
| Size | 146 mm |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Selling price | 2,500 Bells
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| Furniture size |
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In Pocket Camp
| Availability | Not currently available
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| Location |  Sunburst Island
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| Size | 137.7 mm - 154.2 mm |
| Rarity | ★★★ |
| Selling price | 3,000 Bells
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| Version added | Unknown |
| Villager gift data | Tier: Unknown
Rewards: Unknown |
In New Horizons
"I caught an emperor butterfly! It's not your average monarch!"
| Time of year | North: Dec – Mar; Jun – Sep South: Jun – Sep; Dec – Mar |
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| Time of day | 5 PM – 8 AM |
| Location | Flying near flowers |
| Weather | Any except rain |
| Spawn requirement | Catch 20 total bugs |
| Selling prices |  Nook's Cranny: 4,000 Bells Flick: 6,000 Bells
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| Furniture size |
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Donating to the museum
As with all fish and bugs in the Animal Crossing series, the Emperor Butterfly can be donated to the museum by talking to Blathers, the curator. When donating, Blathers will say the following upon receiving the Emperor Butterfly:
In Wild World
After donation, the Emperor can be found fluttering around the flowers in the first room of the insect exhibit.
In City Folk
It can be found in the bottom terrace, flying near or resting on the flowers with any other butterflies.
In New Leaf
Upon being donated, the butterfly can be found in the first room of the bug exhibit resting on flowers with the other butterflies. The exhibit has this to say about the Emperor Butterfly:
In New Horizons
When the player donates an emperor butterfly, Blathers will say this about it before thanking the player for the donation:
Gallery
Animal Crossing: Wild World
Animal Crossing: City Folk
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Real-world information
Morpho menelaus, more commonly known as the Blue Morpho, is an exotic butterfly that can be found in Central and South America. It feeds primarily on rotten fruit, but in the larval stage, frequently eats other larvae of the same species. The in-game name Emperor Butterfly, while not used to refer to its species, may originate from the species' family, Nymphalidae, which is sometimes known as the Emperors.
Etymology
Morpho stems from the Greek word for form, and therefore means 'changed'. This may be a reflection of the species' iridescence, which has the quality of changing colors in the light. Menelaus was a legendary king of Sparta who married Helen of Troy.
Names in other languages
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モルフォチョウ morufo-chō |
Morpho |
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몰포나비 molponabi |
Morpho |
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大蓝闪蝶 dàlán shǎndié |
Blue morpho |
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大藍閃蝶 Unknown |
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Морфо менелай Morfo menelay |
Menelaus morfo |
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Blauwe morpho | Blue morpho |
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Himmelsfalter | Sky Butterfly |
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Mariposa celeste | Literally, "Sky blue butterfly" |
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Morpho bleu | Blue morpho |
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Morfo blu Farfalla morfo blu (NH) |
Blue Morpho |
Notes
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