Oeneis nevadensis

Great Arctic
Male O. n. nevadensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Oeneis
Species: O. nevadensis
Binomial name
Oeneis nevadensis
(C. Felder & R. Felder, [1867])
Synonyms
  • Chionobas nevadensis C. Felder & R. Felder, [1867][1]
  • Chionobas californica Boisduval, 1868[1]

Oeneis nevadensis is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is commonly known as the Great Arctic, the Nevada Arctic, the Great Grayling, Felder's Arctic, and the Pacific Arctic. It is native to northwestern North America.[2][3]

Subspecies

The leading edge of the hind wing is light-grey with a dark-grey triangle on the post-median line.

Description

The wingspan of the Great Arctic measures 2 to 2.5 inches (5.1 to 6.3 cm), making it the largest western arctic.[4] O. n. nevadensis is bright orange-brown on the upper side of the wings. The dark brown wing margins are scalloped. Males have one to two black eyespots on the fore wing; females have two to three.[3] Males have a large, dark patch of sex scales on the fore wing, extending from the basal area to near the apex.[2][3] Females have dark scaling on the basal area of the fore wing. Both sexes have a small eyespot near the hind wing tornus. The underside of the fore wing is similar to the upper side.[2][3] The ventral hind wing is uniformly striated dark brown and gray. Some populations have an irregular dark median band on the hind wing.[4] The costa is a whitish color. O. n. gigas is slightly larger and darker than the nominate subspecies. O. n. iduna differs from the other two subspecies in having a much paler upper side.[2][3]

Distribution and habitat

The Great Arctic is found almost exclusively in the Cascade Mountains, from southern British Columbia to northern California.[3] O. n. gigas is found on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.[1] O. n. iduna is found in northern coastal California.[1][2] The Great Arctic is found from sea level to 7,000 feet. Habitats include forest clearings, open pinewoods, gravel roads, meadows, slopes, and canyons. Along the coast, it is commonly found on bare mountain summits.[3]

Flight

The Great Arctic is seen from early May to late September, but only every two years (mostly even numbered) due to its long life cycle.[3] O. n. gigas is seen on odd numbered years.[3]

Life cycle

The whitish colored egg is oblong and flat-topped.[4] The caterpillar is tan with a black lateral dorsal stripe. The sides of the caterpillar are striped with brown, greenish-brown, and white.[3] The head lacks horns, and the posterior end of the abdomen is forked.[5] The caterpillar overwinters partially grown in its first year, and overwinters in its second year as a fifth instar.[5] The host plant for the Great Arctic is unknown, but is believed to be in the Poaceae family.[3][4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oeneis nevadensis.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Savela, Markku. "Oeneis nevadensis". funet.fi. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Brock, Jim P.; Kaufman, Kenn (2003). Butterflies of North America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. p. 252. ISBN 0-618-15312-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pyle, Robert Michael (2002). The Butterflies of Cascadia. Seattle, WA: Seattle Audubon Society. p. 358. ISBN 0-914516-13-2.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Pyle, Robert Micheal (1981). National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 700. ISBN 0-394-51914-0.
  5. 1 2 Allen, Thomas J.; Brock, Jim P.; Glassberg, Jeffrey (2005). Caterpillars in the Field and Garden. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 110. ISBN 0-19-514987-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, July 14, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.