| Home | Butterflies | Dragonflies | Birds (media) | Flora and Fauna | Observations | Species | Mexican birds |
| Checklists | My 5 Chickens | Daily | Other Photos | TBP | About | Links | Spontaneous |
Species account
Mosehøsommerfugl
(Colias palaeno)
Linnaeus (1761)
Hvidvinger (Pieridae) MCYE 24844
Hvidvinger (Pieridae) MCYE 24844
Moorland Clouded Yellow (gb)
Svavelgul Höfjäril (se)
Subspecies
palaeno
Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia.
aias
Fruhstorfer (1903) - Japan. The largest form of palaeno. The marginal band of the forewing being very broad and the underside rich green.
arctica
Nordström (1928).
baffinensis
Ebner & Ferris (1978) - Northern part of N America.
chippewa
W.H. Edwards (1870) - Northern N America. Perhaps a separate species. (wikipedia)
europome
Esper (1778) - Belgium, Germany, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine. Upper forewing discoidal spot often variable, to small and hollow with pale center.
europomene
Ochsenheimer (1808) - High altitude in the Alps. This form is somewhat larger than the nominate, the male lemon-yellow above, being below deeper yellow, as is also the female.
orientalis
Staudinger (1892) - Kamchatka very similar to europomene, being dark greenish on the underside of the hindwing.
poktussani
Bang-Haas (1934) - North Korea.
sachalinensis
Matsumura (1919) - Sakhalin.
sugitanii
Esaki (1929).
synonyma
Bryk (1923) - Sweden.
Measurements:
WS: 47-54mm
Generations:
1
Flight period:
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification:
Both male and female show a broad black margin to both fore- and hindwings above, which eliminates confusion with the white Whites in the Nordic region.
The male is yellowish-white as a base color above and the female even paler. Both sexes have plain yellow-green undersides with a single characteristic white spot surrounded by dark on the hindwing below. As other Colias both sexes show the characteristic pinkish border to both wings and antennas.
Hyale (Gul Høsommerfugl) shows pale spotting in the black tip to the wings, something palaeno never does. And the male shows a line of black spots along the submarginal field on both wings; less so in the female. The white spot on the hindwing below is encircled by a red border plus there is a tiny satellite spot attached to it, in direction of the costa.
Croceus (Orange Høsommerfugl) shows a warmer orange-yellow base color above, which shines through on the forewing when the animal is resting. The male shows solid black wing borders above, like palaeno, but the female show pale spotting there, like hyale.
The male is yellowish-white as a base color above and the female even paler. Both sexes have plain yellow-green undersides with a single characteristic white spot surrounded by dark on the hindwing below. As other Colias both sexes show the characteristic pinkish border to both wings and antennas.
Hyale (Gul Høsommerfugl) shows pale spotting in the black tip to the wings, something palaeno never does. And the male shows a line of black spots along the submarginal field on both wings; less so in the female. The white spot on the hindwing below is encircled by a red border plus there is a tiny satellite spot attached to it, in direction of the costa.
Croceus (Orange Høsommerfugl) shows a warmer orange-yellow base color above, which shines through on the forewing when the animal is resting. The male shows solid black wing borders above, like palaeno, but the female show pale spotting there, like hyale.
Similar species:
Life stages:
Distribution:
C, E, NE Europe toward Asia and N America.
Habitat:
Poor nutritious soils, bogs, forested areas. In Sweden doesn't fly above the tree line.
Behavior:
Fast direct flight.
Status:
A rare and random breeder in Denmark. No established populations. Last major influx was in 2018. 1992 saw a large influx during few days. Common in large parts of Sweden and Finland; and S Europe.
Host plants:
Mose-Bølle (Vaccinium uliginosum) [Bog Blueberry ~ Arándano Negro ~ Odon]
Blåbær (Vaccinium myrtillus) [European Blueberry ~ Mirtilo ~ Blåbär]
Blåbær (Vaccinium myrtillus) [European Blueberry ~ Mirtilo ~ Blåbär]
Feeding plants:
Muse-Vikke (Vicia cracca) [Tufted Vetch ~ Arveja Silvestre ~ Kråkvicker]
Kragefod (Comarum palustre) [Purple Marshlocks ~ Kråkklöver]
Rød-Kløver (Trifolium pratense) [Red Clover ~ Trébol Rojo ~ Rödklöver]
Kragefod (Comarum palustre) [Purple Marshlocks ~ Kråkklöver]
Rød-Kløver (Trifolium pratense) [Red Clover ~ Trébol Rojo ~ Rödklöver]
The subspecies listed are from wikipedia, and I'm not sure if they are generally accepted as subspecies or merely are representing different forms - literature read being split on the issue.