Helicopter Metalmark vs Polar Fritillary

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Helicopter Metalmark Polar Fritillary
Scientific Name Chorinea octauius Boloria polaris
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Riodinidae Nymphalidae
Size 35-45 mm wingspan 30-38 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Tundra & Arctic
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions South America Canadian Arctic, northern Alaska, Greenland, Svalbard, northern Scandinavia, Siberia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Helicopter Metalmark

Transparent forewings with red and black hindwing tails that twirl in flight. The spinning tails create a helicopter-like effect.

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Did You Know?

The elongated hindwing tails rotate during flight, resembling helicopter blades.

Polar Fritillary

A small butterfly with warm orange upperwings marked with dark spots and zigzag lines. The underside has a distinctive pattern of white and reddish-brown patches. It is restricted to true Arctic tundra habitats.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the most northerly butterflies in the world, found within a few hundred kilometers of the North Pole on Ellesmere Island.