''Oeneis norna'', the Norse grayling, is a species of butterfly in subfamily Satyrinae, that occurs throughout

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

and the northern Palearctic.

Description

It is extremely variable and the smaller, lighter ''O. norna'' often resemble '' O. bore''.

Range and habitat

This species can be found in northern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, Sweden, and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. In

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

it is seen in the

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

Yamal Peninsula The Yamal Peninsula (russian: полуостров Ямал, poluostrov Yamal) is located in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of northwest Siberia, Russia. It extends roughly 700 km (435 mi) and is bordered principally by the Kara ...

Kola Peninsula sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк , image_name= Kola peninsula.png , image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast , image_size= 300px , image_alt= , map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg , map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblas ...

, and

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

. It is also encountered in Japan. Within its range it lives in bogs, damp grassy areas and mossy forest clearings.

Subspecies

* ''Oeneis norna altaica'' ( Elwes, 1899) * ''Oeneis norna tundra'' ( A. Bang-Haas, 1912) * ''Oeneis norna radnaevi'' (Churkin, 1999) * ''Oeneis norna arethusoides'' (Lukhtanov, 1989) * ''Oeneis norna rosovi'' (Kurentzov, 1970) * ''Oeneis norna tshukota'' ( Korshunov, 1998) * ''Oeneis norna asamana'' ( Matsumura, 1919) * ''Oeneis norna sugitanii'' ( Shirôzu, 1952) * ''Oeneis norna hilda'' ( Quensel, 1791)

Life cycle

There is one flight a year between mid-June and July. It takes two seasonal cycles for the caterpillars to completely develop. Once the caterpillars hatch many will die without even attempting to eat.

Host plants

* ''

Phleum pratense Timothy (''Phleum pratense'') is an abundant perennial grass native to most of Europe except for the Mediterranean region. It is also known as timothy-grass, meadow cat's-tail or common cat's tail. It is a member of the genus ''Phleum'', consis ...

'' * ''

Poa alpina ''Poa alpina'', commonly known as alpine meadow-grass or alpine bluegrass, is a species of grass with a primarily holarctic distribution. It is noted for being pseudoviviparous: in place of seeds, it sometimes reproduces asexually, creating ne ...

'' * ''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

'' species * '' Nardus'' species

References

*
"''Oeneis''_Hübner,_[1819]"
at_Markku_Savela's_''Lepidoptera_and_Some_Other_Life_Forms'' {{Authority_control Oeneis.html" ;"title="819]"">"''Oeneis'' Hübner, [1819]"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' {{Authority control Oeneis">819]"">"''Oeneis'' Hübner, [1819]"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' {{Authority control Oeneis Butterflies of Europe Insects of the Arctic