LEPIDOPTERA

• S A T Y R I D A E Boisduval, 1833

  • OENEIS Hubner, [1819]

    
    

    • Oeneis melissa (Fabricius, 1775)

Oeneis melissa gibsoni Holland, 1931

· TYPE LOCALITY. "...insula Terra neuve Americae" [Labrador, Canada].

· RANGE. Mountains and tundras of Siberia and N. America; N. Mongolia, Japan (Hokkaido).

· DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. A highly variable species. In the Asiatic territory, the following subspecies are known: ssp. karae Kusnezov, 1925 - polar tundras of Siberia; ssp. gibsoni Holland, 1931 - the Chukot Peninsula; ssp. orientalis Kurentzov, 1970 - E. Yakutia, the Magadan Region; ssp. tunga Staudinger, 1894 - the Sayan Mts.

· HABITAT AND BIOLOGY. Hills and stony screes in the belts of plain and mountain tundra. Flight in June-July. Host plants: Deschamp-sia glauca, Carex (see Korshunov et al., 1985): Hibernation twice.

· SIMILAR SPECIES. O. aktashi, O. oeno: fringes uniform brownish; antennae brown; male without androconial area; genitalia different (Fig. 69).

Photo and text: Guide to the BUTTERFLIES OF RUSSIA and adjacent territories Volume 1. PENSOFT, Sofia - Moscow. 1997