Kingdom Animalia Order Lepidoptera Genus Oeneis Higher classification Oeneis | Phylum Arthropoda Family Nymphalidae Scientific name Oeneis chryxus Rank Species | |
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Similar Oeneis, Butterfly, Butterflies and moths, Oeneis tanana, Nymphalidae | ||
The Chryxus Arctic or Brown Arctic (Oeneis chryxus) is a butterfly, a species of Satyrinae that occurs in North America.
Contents
Description
The wingspan is 39 to 54 mm. The dorsal view is cream or brownish-orange. Forewing has 1–4 small black eyespots near the outer margin, then the hindwing has an additional 1–2. The males have a dark patch of sex scales on their forewings. The ventral view has black and white striations, a broad dark median band and veins of white scales. There is only one black spot near the lower inner margin of the wing.
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically.
Similar species
Range and habitat
Eastern Alaska south through the higher elevated Mexican Rockies, east across Canada into Quebec, Wisconsin, and Michigan. There is a small isolated population in the California Sierras. Within their habitat they are most commonly found on rocky hilltops, meadows, and open woodlands.
Life cycle
There is only one brood and that occurs from May to June every year. They are more numerous in the Great Lakes region than elsewhere. The caterpillars take two years to completely develop, they hibernate as early instars during the first winter and the last instar completes the second winter.