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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Oeneis macounii
Macoun's Arctic


 
Scientific Name: Oeneis macounii (W.H. Edwards, 1885)
English Name: Macoun's Arctic
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: Pelham, J. P. 2008. A catalogue of the butterflies of the United States and Canada with a complete bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature. The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. Volume 40. 658 pp. Revised 14 February, 2012.
Classification Level: Species
Species Group: Invertebrate Animal
Species Code: LE-OENMAC
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Arthropoda Insecta Lepidoptera Nymphalidae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G5 (Nov 2023)
Provincial Status: S5? (Jan 2020)
BC List: Yellow
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status:
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 6 - Not Assessed (2000)
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description:
Migration Characteristics:
(Global / Provincial)
 
    Nonmigrant:
    Local Migrant:
    Distant Migrant:
    Within Borders Migrant:
N /
N /
N /
na /
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence)
Global Habitat Comments: This species is found in open pine forests and open glades (Pyle and LaBar 2018).
Food Habits: Herbivore:Immature
Nectarivore: Adult
Global Food Habits Comments: Larval hosts are undetermined grasses but probably sedges and adults nectar occasionally on flowers (Lotts and Naberhaus 2017; Pyle and LaBar 2018).
Global Phenology:
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Colonial Breeder: N
Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): / /
Elevation (m) (min / max): Global: 
Provincial: 
   
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: This species occurs across Canada from the southern Northwest Territories to Ontario as well as in Minnesota and northern Michigan on Isle Royale (GBIF 2023; SCAN 2023).
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author: T. Cornelisse
Last Updated: Nov 09, 2023
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
   
References and Related Literature
Alberta Conservation Information Management Centre. 2022. Element Subnational Ranking Form in Biotics 5 database. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia (accessed 2023).
Pyle, R.M. and C.C. LaBar. 2018. Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 462 pp.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2023. Species Summary: Oeneis macounii. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 6, 2026).