''Oeneis nevadensis'' is a species of

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

in the family Nymphalidae. It is commonly known as the great Arctic, Nevada Arctic, great grayling, Felder's Arctic, or Pacific Arctic. It is native to northwestern North America.

Subspecies

* ''Oeneis nevadensis nevadensis'' (C. Felder & R. Felder,

867 __NOTOC__ Year 867 (Roman numerals, DCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 23 – Emperor Michael III is murde ...

* ''Oeneis nevadensis gigas'' Butler, 1868 * ''Oeneis nevadensis iduna'' (Edwards, 1874) Oeneis nevadensis 4752

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 The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...

. ''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 forewing; females have two to three. Males have a large, dark patch of sex scales on the forewing, extending from the basal area to near the apex. Females have dark scaling on the basal area of the forewing. Both sexes have a small eyespot near the hindwing tornus. The underside of the forewing is similar to the upper side. The ventral hindwing is uniformly striated dark brown and gray. Some populations have an irregular dark median band on the hindwing. The costa is whitish. ''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 upperside.

Distribution and habitat

The great Arctic is found almost exclusively in the Cascade Mountains, from southern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. ''O. n. gigas'' is found on the southern tip of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

. ''O. n. iduna'' is found in northern coastal California. The great Arctic is found from sea level to . Habitats include forest clearings, open pinewoods, gravel roads, meadows, slopes, and canyons. Along the coast, it is commonly found on bare mountain summits.

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. ''O. n. gigas'' is seen on odd numbered years.

Life cycle

The whitish egg is oblong and flat topped. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

is tan with a black lateral dorsal stripe. The sides of the caterpillar are striped with brown, greenish brown, and white. The head lacks horns, and the posterior end of the abdomen is forked. The caterpillar overwinters partially grown in its first year, and overwinters in its second year as a fifth

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

. The host plant for the great Arctic is unknown, but is believed to be in the family

Poaceae Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3349468 Oeneis Butterflies of North America