Colias gigantea, the giant sulphur or giant northern sulfur, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae found in North America. Its range includes Alaska across Canada to the east coast and Wyoming, Montana, and Oregon.[1]

Giant (northern) sulphur
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Colias
Species:
C. gigantea
Binomial name
Colias gigantea
Strecker, 1900

Flight period is from June until early August.[1] It inhabits tundra and willow bogs.[2]

Wingspan is from 37 to 55 millimetres (1.5 to 2.2 in).[1]

Larvae feed on Salix spp.[1][3] Adults feed on flower nectar.[2]

Subspecies

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Listed alphabetically.[3]

  • C. g. gigantea (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Yukon, Northwest Territories)
  • C. g. harroweri Klots, 1940 (Wyoming, Montana, Oregon)
  • C. g. mayi F. & R. Chermock, 1940

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Giant Sulphur, Butterflies of Canada
  2. ^ a b "Colias gigantea". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  3. ^ a b Colias at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms