Ross's Alpine vs Macrosoma lucivittata

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Ross's Alpine Macrosoma lucivittata
Scientific Name Erebia rossii Macrosoma lucivittata
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Hedylidae
Size 34-42 mm wingspan 32-42 mm wingspan
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Forests
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Arctic Alaska, northern Canada, Yukon Territory Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Ross's Alpine

A dark brown butterfly with small reddish-orange eye spots on the forewings. Its cryptic coloration allows it to blend with dark tundra soils and rocks. It has a slow, bobbing flight pattern close to the ground.

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Did You Know?

Named after the Arctic explorer Sir James Clark Ross, this butterfly takes two full years to develop from egg to adult.

Macrosoma lucivittata

Moth-butterfly with pale wings bearing a translucent vitreous stripe. One of the more distinctive hedylid species.

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Did You Know?

The glass-like wing stripe may function in crypsis by breaking up the wing outline at night.