Melissa Arctic
Oeneis melissa (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Satyrinae
Identification: Wings are translucent, wing fringes are often checkered. Upperside is gray-brown with faint or absent eyespots. Underside of hindwing is mottled black and gray; median band is lacking or faint with white outlines.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 inches (4.2 - 5.1 cm).
Life History: To find females, males perch and patrol rocky areas during the day. Females lay eggs on sedges or in litter around them. Caterpillars feed at night and pupate under mosses and rocks. Two years are required to complete development; the first winter is passed by first-stage caterpillars, the second winter by mature caterpillars.
Flight: One brood from mid-June to early August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Sedges including Carex bigelowii and C. rupestris.
Adult Food: Not reported.
Habitat: Tundra, talus slopes, rocky summits and saddles, frost-heaved clear-cuts.
Range: Holarctic. Siberia and the North American arctic from Alaska east to Baffin Island and Labrador. Isolated populations in the Rocky Mountains south to northern New Mexico and in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (O. m. semidea).
Conservation: Necessary only for subspecies semidea.
NCGR: Oeneis melissa semidea of New Hampshire has The Nature Conservancy Global Rank of G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences), or because of other factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range. (Endangered throughout its range).
Management Needs: Prevent development or trampling of habitat in New Hampshire.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 80 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 28, 2024
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: tjay13
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 17, 2024
Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 15, 2024
Observation date: Jun 23, 2019
Submitted by: jsaunders260
Region: Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 07, 2023
Observation date: Jul 01, 2020
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 07, 2023
Observation date: Jul 06, 2019
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 07, 2023
Observation date: Jun 20, 2019
Submitted by: tylerjkrul
Region: Denali, Alaska, United States
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 07, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2015
Submitted by: rchensley
Region: Coos County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 16, 2020
Submitted by: ASchmierer
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 17, 2020
Observation date: Jul 11, 2020
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: Lake County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 08, 2020
Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: ASchmierer
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 15, 2020
Observation date: Jul 09, 2016
Submitted by: mouser
Region: New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Lake County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 30, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Lake County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 30, 2020
Observation date: Jul 22, 2019
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 05, 2019
Observation date: Jul 20, 2019
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 05, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Jul 21, 2004
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 04, 2019
Observation date: Jul 19, 2017
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: San Juan County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Dec 28, 2017
Observation date: Jun 29, 2017
Submitted by: Michael Emenaker
Region: Pitkin County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 28, 2017
Observation date: Jul 01, 2015
Submitted by: janazak
Region: Yukon Territory, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 01, 2015
Observation date: Jul 17, 2014
Submitted by: Laurie Cogswell
Region: Coos County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: anthony.thomas
Verified date: Aug 03, 2014
Observation date: Aug 11, 2012
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 28, 2012
Observation date: Jul 10, 2010
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 25, 2011
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