Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nymphalidae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Oeneis | |
Similar Oeneis, Boloria freija, Parnassius eversmanni, Oeneis norna, Oeneis uhleri | ||
The Melissa Arctic (Oeneis melissa) is a species of butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It has a Holarctic distribution, ranging from Siberia and the North American arctic from Alaska east to Baffin Island and Labrador. Isolated populations are found from the Rocky Mountains south to northern New Mexico and in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The habitat consists of tundra, talus slopes, rocky summits and saddles and frost-heaved clear-cuts.
The wingspan is 42–51 mm. The wings are translucent and the fringes are often checkered. The upperside is grey-brown with faint or absent eyespots. The underside of the hindwings is mottled black and grey. The median band is lacking or faint with white outlines. Adults are on wing from mid June to early August.
The larvae feed on various sedges, including Carex bigelowii and Carex rupestris. They feed at night and pupate under mosses and rocks. Development takes two years. The first winter is passed by first instar larvae, the second winter by mature larvae.