North American Ecology (US and Canada)
provided by North American Butterfly Knowledge Network
Resident in northern North America (Scott 1986). Habitats are ARCTIC/ALPINE TUNDRA, especially dry ridges and eskers. Host plants are usually herbaceous with hosts largely restricted to a few species in one family, LEGUMINOSAE. Individuals overwinter as young, third-instar and full-grown larvae and are probably biennial.. There is one flight each year with the approximate flight time JUN15-AUG31 (Scott 1986).
Conservation Status
provided by University of Alberta Museums
Not of concern.
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Cyclicity
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One yearly brood, flying between mid July and late August.
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Distribution
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An Arctic - alpine species, occurring from northern Labrador across the arctic to Alaska and south in the western mountains to extreme northern Washington state and Montana (Layberry et al. 1998, Guppy & Shepard 2001).
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General Description
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This dark, grey-green sulphur, with the underside discal spot streaked towards the outside, is not likely to be confused with any other sulphurs. Unlike all other sulphurs, male Labradors have the forewing dark border broken with pale blotches, a trait usually found only in female sulphurs. Alberta populations are subspecies streckeri, described from Lake Louise. The common name is rather a poor one, since only a small portion of this species' distribution is within Labrador.
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Habitat
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Gravelly or rocky alpine tundra.
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Life Cycle
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The immature stages are incompletely known; mature larvae are dark green with a pink-edged lateral stripe (Bird et al. 1995). This species is known for its rapid flight over its rocky and often steep alpine habitat, making it difficult to observe and capture.
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Trophic Strategy
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Larvae feed on Oxytropis splendens on Redcap Mountain near Cadomin (Bird et al. 1995), and likely other alpine legumes. There are no published reports of adult nectar sources.
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Colias nastes
provided by wikipedia EN
Colias nastes, the Labrador sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. In Europe, it is found in the north of Norway and Sweden and on rare occasions in northern Finland. It is also found in North America, specifically in Alaska, Canada, and the Rocky Mountains, Washington, Montana and on Greenland. In Asia, it is found in the Altai Mountains, the border regions of Russia, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, the Sayan Mountains, the north of Siberia, and in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Description
The wingspan is 31–45 mm. C. nastes is dark grey green with grey-black margins and red fringes. The female is more yellowish and has more distinct yellowish submarginal spots on both wings. The under surface of the forewing is impure whitish, with greenish-yellow scales, the rose-red fringes are conspicuous, the hindwing is yellowish green, lighter at the margin, the white median spot is bordered with red and distally to it is placed a diffuse red spot, the rose-red fringes are broader than on the forewing. The female has a somewhat lighter under surface and on the forewing some small black submarginal spots.
Biology
The butterfly flies from May to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Astragalus species, especially A. alpinus and A. frigidus. In North America it is also recorded on Trifolium repens and possibly Vaccinium species.
Subspecies
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C. n. nastes Altai, Sayan, Chukot Peninsula, Alaska, Greenland, Labrador, Greenland.
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C. n. aliaska O. Bang-Haas, 1927 Alaska, Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Victoria Island, Banks Island)
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C. n. dezhnevi Korshunov, 1996 NE.Siberia (Magadan, Chukotka, Bilibino)
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C. n. dioni Verhulst, 1999 Canada (Alberta)
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C. n. jakutica Kurentzov, 1970 Russian Far East (Yakutia)
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C. n. moina Strecker, 1880 Canada (Northwest Territories, Manitoba)
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C. n. streckeri Grum-Grshimailo, 1895 Canada (Alberta, British Columbia), N.Washington, Montana
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C. n. zemblica Verity, 1911 Novaja Zemlja
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C. n. cocandicides Verity, 1911
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C. n. ferrisi Verhulst, 2004 Alaska
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C. n. mongola Alpheraky, 1897
References
- Churkin, S., Grieshuber, J ., Bogdanov, P. & Zamolodchikov, D., 2001 Taxonomic notes on Colias tyche Böber, 1812 and Colias nastes Boisduval, 1832 (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) from the Russian Far East with the descriptions of new subspecies. Helios 2: 103–116, pls.8-10.
- Joseph T. Verhulst (English translation R. Leestmans, editing E. Benton and R. Leestmans), 2000 Les Colias du Globe translation Monograph of the genus Colias Keltern, Germany : Goecke & Evers ISBN 9783931374150
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Colias nastes: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
Colias nastes, the Labrador sulphur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. In Europe, it is found in the north of Norway and Sweden and on rare occasions in northern Finland. It is also found in North America, specifically in Alaska, Canada, and the Rocky Mountains, Washington, Montana and on Greenland. In Asia, it is found in the Altai Mountains, the border regions of Russia, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, the Sayan Mountains, the north of Siberia, and in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
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