Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

  Sighting 1324650

Chryxus Arctic
Oeneis chryxus

Observation date: May 18, 2022
Submitted by: topper72
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Mostly sunny, very dry, slight breeze, temp. in lower 70s F. One seen nectaring on dandelion at ~9,400 ft elevation. Not sure what is going on with the left antenna.
Status: Resident
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 22, 2022
Coordinator notes: that antenna is weird, some kind of deformity (?). the other odd thing is the lack of a central band on the VHW. if you compare this one to your other photos of Chryxus, you may see that most have a well-developed band that arches from the costa toward the inner edge. this one has none of that; also no "bird beak" profile. There's nothing else it can be, but something to keep an eye on, perhaps related to environmental (i.e., temperature?) changes. thanks for documenting it!
Checklist region(s): United States, New Mexico, Los Alamos County