Arctic Fritillary vs Arctic Springtail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Arctic Fritillary Arctic Springtail
Scientific Name Boloria chariclea Megaphorura arctica
Order Lepidoptera Collembola
Family Nymphalidae Onychiuridae
Size 28-36 mm wingspan 1-2 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Tundra & Arctic
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions Arctic North America, Scandinavia, Siberia Svalbard, Arctic Canada, Greenland, northern Scandinavia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Arctic Fritillary

A small, orange-brown fritillary butterfly of arctic and alpine tundra. Its underside has distinctive silvery-white markings.

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Did You Know?

It can complete its life cycle in the brief two-month arctic summer.

Arctic Springtail

A white, eyeless springtail that lives in soil and under stones in the High Arctic. It lacks a furcula and cannot jump. It survives extreme cold through cryoprotective dehydration, losing most of its body water before freezing.

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Did You Know?

This springtail can survive temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius by dehydrating itself until it contains almost no free water.