Green Marble
Euchloe naina Kozhantshikov, 1923

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Diagnosis: The Green Marble is similar in appearance to the Large Marble (E. ausonides), but with grey-green marbling on the hindwing underside covering 80 to 95 per cent of the area. Above, there is dark shading along the basal half of the forewing costa, and a dark line on the hindwing. The upperside is pearly and the hindwing underside is strongly silvered. Wingspan: 30 to 36 mm.

Range: It is found in Siberia, the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, on the Dempster Highway, north of Dawson, YT., between km 130 and Windy Pass, km 155, and at two locations near Atlin, BC,

Similar Species: The Green Marble occurs with the Large Marble (E. ausonides ogilvia) in central Yukon and is easily confused with it. Both species have a more extensive green pattern on the hindwing underside than nominate ausonides, but in the Green Marble the green shading is much duller, usually grey green, not bright green with yellow flecks as in the Large Marble. [compare images]

Early Stages: These are undescribed. Females oviposit on Braya humilis and Draba spp.

Abundance: Very localized, but it is occasionally fairly common.

Flight Season: North American dates range from 7 June to 28 June.

Habits: Usually seen on dry, barren limestone scree mountain slopes at elevations of 1050 to 1350 metres, flying slowly over the scree surface at a height of about 15 cm. Occasional individuals can be seen flying at 50 to 100 cm height, in valley bottoms and along roadsides, in company with ausonides and creusa.

Remarks: First collected in Canada by Ted Pike between 17 and 28 June 1972, at km 131, Dempster Highway, Yukon, this species was recognized as distinct only recently. A pair of Alaskan specimens taken in 1951 at Moose Pass, Kenai Peninsula, are in the Canadian National Collection. The occurrence of this species in North America was first reported by Kondla and Pelham (1995).

© 2002. This material is reproduced with permission from The Butterflies of Canada by Ross A. Layberry, Peter W. Hall, and J. Donald Lafontaine. University of Toronto Press; 1998. Specimen photos courtesy of John T. Fowler.

The Toronto Entomologists' Association thanks Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for providing the content and computer code for this web page.