Species of butterfly
Colias nastes, theLabrador sulphur, is abutterfly in the familyPieridae. In Europe, it is found in the north of Norway and Sweden and on rare occasions in northern Finland. It is also found in North America, specifically inAlaska, Canada, and theRocky Mountains,Washington,Montana and onGreenland. In Asia, it is found in theAltai Mountains, the border regions of Russia, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, theSayan Mountains, the north ofSiberia, and in theChukotka Autonomous Okrug.
Thewingspan is 31–45 mm.C. nastes is dark grey green with grey-black margins and red fringes. The female is more yellowish and has more distinct yellowish submarginal spots on both wings. The under surface of the forewing is impure whitish, with greenish-yellow scales, the rose-red fringes are conspicuous, the hindwing is yellowish green, lighter at the margin, the white median spot is bordered with red and distally to it is placed a diffuse red spot, the rose-red fringes are broader than on the forewing. The female has a somewhat lighter under surface and on the forewing some small black submarginal spots.
The butterfly flies from May to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed onAstragalus species, especiallyA. alpinus andA. frigidus. In North America it is also recorded onTrifolium repens and possiblyVaccinium species.
- C. n. nastes Altai, Sayan, Chukot Peninsula, Alaska, Greenland, Labrador, Greenland.
- C. n. aliaskaO. Bang-Haas, 1927 Alaska, Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Victoria Island, Banks Island)
- C. n. dezhneviKorshunov, 1996 NE.Siberia (Magadan, Chukotka, Bilibino)
- C. n. dioniVerhulst, 1999 Canada (Alberta)
- C. n. jakuticaKurentzov, 1970 Russian Far East (Yakutia)
- C. n. moinaStrecker, 1880 Canada (Northwest Territories, Manitoba)
- C. n. nlakapamuxJakubek & Kir'yanov, 2021 Canada (SW British Columbia, Coast Mts.), USA ( NW Washington), ref.: ATALANTA, 52.Band, Heft 1/2, April/2021, ISSN 0171-0079
- C. n. tagishJakubek & Kir'yanov, 2021 Canada (SW Yukon, Montana Mountain Massif), ref.: ATALANTA, 52.Band, Heft 1/2, April/2021, ISSN 0171-0079
- C. n. kwanlindunJakubek & Kir'yanov, 2021 Canada ( Yukon, E Boundary Mountain Ranges), ref.: ATALANTA, 52.Band, Heft 1/2, April/2021, ISSN 0171-0079
- C. n. muskwaJakubek & Kir'yanov, 2021 Canada (N British Columbia, Northern Boreal Mts.), ref.: ATALANTA, 52.Band, Heft 1/2, April/2021, ISSN 0171-0079
- C. n. ogilviensisJakubek & Kir'yanov, 2021 Canada (N Yukon, Ogilvie Mts.), ref.: ATALANTA, 52.Band, Heft 1/2, April/2021, ISSN 0171-0079
- C. n. donjekJakubek & Kir'yanov, 2021 Canada (W Yukon, N Saint Elias Mts.), ref.: ATALANTA, 52.Band, Heft 1/2, April/2021, ISSN 0171-0079
- C. n. streckeriGrum-Grshimailo, 1895 Canada (Alberta, British Columbia), N.Washington, Montana
- C. n. zemblicaVerity, 1911 Novaja Zemlja
- C. n. cocandicidesVerity, 1911
- C. n. ferrisiVerhulst, 2004 Alaska
- C. n.mongolaAlpheraky, 1897
- Churkin, S., Grieshuber, J ., Bogdanov, P. & Zamolodchikov, D., 2001 Taxonomic notes onColias tyche Böber, 1812 andColias nastes Boisduval, 1832 (Lepidoptera, Pieridae) from the Russian Far East with the descriptions of new subspecies.Helios 2: 103–116, pls.8-10.
- Joseph T. Verhulst (English translation R. Leestmans, editing E. Benton and R. Leestmans), 2000Les Colias du Globe translationMonograph of the genus Colias Keltern, Germany : Goecke & EversISBN 9783931374150
