Oeneis melissa explained

Oeneis melissa, the Melissa Arctic, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.

The wingspan is 42–51 mm.

The larvae feed on various sedges, including Carex bigelowii and Carex rupestris.

Subspecies

• Oeneis melissa melissa (Newfoundland, Labrador)
• Oeneis melissa also (Boisduval, [1833]) (Polar Urals, Arctic Asia, Taymur, Chukot Peninsula, Kamchatka, Wrangel Island)
• Oeneis melissa orientalis Kurentzov, 1970 (eastern Yakutia, Magadan)
• Oeneis melissa daizetsuzana Matsumura, 1926 (Japan)
• Oeneis melissa semidea (Say, 1828) (New Hampshire)
• Oeneis melissa semplei Holland, 1931 (Quebec, inner Labrador, Hudson Bay)
• Oeneis melissa assimilis Butler, 1868 (Northwest Territories)
• Oeneis melissa gibsoni Holland, 1931 (Alaska, Yukon, northern British Columbia)
• Oeneis melissa beanii Elwes, 1893 (Alberta, British Columbia, Washington, Montana, Wyoming)
• Oeneis melissa lucilla Barnes & McDunnough, 1918
• Oeneis melissa karae Kusnezov, 1925 (polar tundra of northern Siberia)