BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Colias hecla
Hecla Sulphur
| Scientific Name: | Colias hecla Lefèbvre, 1836 | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Hecla Sulphur | ||||||||||
| 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-COLHEC | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Nov 2023) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S2S3 (Jan 2020) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Blue | ||||||||||
| 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) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / N / N / na / |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Alpine/Tundra / Alpine Grassland / Facultative - frequent use
Alpine/Tundra / Alpine/Subalpine Meadow / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Fellfield / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Glacier/Icefield / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Heath / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Krummholtz / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Nivation / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Tundra / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Zoogenic / Facultative - frequent use |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | This species is found in Arctic tundra, grassy slopes, and swales (Settele 2008). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Herbivore:Immature
Nectarivore: Adult |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | The larvae feed on Astragalus species, including Astragalus frigidus and Astragalus alpinus, as well as Trifolium repens (Settele 2008). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | / / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | This species is holarctic and occurs in northern Eurasia, Greenland, and Alaska, USA as well as throughout Canada (GBIF 2023; SCAN 2023). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | T. Cornelisse | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Oct 26, 2023 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Guppy, C.S., and J.H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia. UBC Press in collaboration with Royal B.C. Mus. 414pp. |
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Layberry, R. A., P. W. Hall, and J. D. LaFontaine. 1998. The butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press. 280pp. + color plates. |
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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: Colias hecla. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 11, 2026).