LEPIDOPTERA

• N Y M P H A L I D A E Swainson, 1827

  • CLOSSIANA Reuss, 1920

    
    

    • Clossiana polaris (Boisduval, 1828)

Clossiana polaris (Boisduval, 1828)

• TYPE LOCALITY. Nordkap Peninsula [Norway].

• RANGE. Polar tundra of the Holarctic.

• DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Only the nominotypical subspecies is known.

Variability minor but specimens from the European part are somewhat larger.

• HABITATS AND BIOLOGY. Lowland or mountain tundra up to 1,000 m a.s.l. Flight period: June to August. Host plant in the Polar Urals (Korshunov & Gorbunov, 1995): Dryas punctata, D. octopetala; in Lapland (Henriksen & Kreutzer, 1982): Cassiope tetragona, Vaccinium uligmosum.

• SIMILAR SPECIES. Ciossiana freya: UNH with one silvery spot at base. C. chariclea, C. butleri: marginal white spots of UNH extended along margin, nearly rectangular.

Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 2. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 2000