Butterfly ID
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Field guide · Norway
Brush-footed butterflies · Norway

Yellow-legged tortoiseshell

Nymphalis xanthomelas

Yellow-legged tortoiseshell is a large, orange-yellow butterfly that only appears sporadically in Norway, likely due to natural dispersal. It is considered not eligible for the Norwegian Red List.

Status in this countryVagrant in NorwayNA (Not applicable)
Yellow-legged tortoiseshell

Flight period

The species has no fixed migration period in Norway; the sources describe no Norwegian migration season.

Habitat

The habitat of Norway is not described; the species only appears as an irregular wanderer.

Identifying features

Large butterfly with a wingspan of 63–68 mm. The upper side is richly orange-yellow with black spots and bands: the forewing has, among other things, two oval black spots in the cell and three large oval black spots in the middle of the wing. Along the outer edge of both wings runs a wavy, black transverse band, and on the hindwing, this band is edged with blue, crescent-shaped spots. The underside is matte ochre brown with darker markings.

Similar species

Very similar to large tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros); the English names for the two species have been used interchangeably, which has caused confusion.

Distribution

The species is found in Eastern Europe and Asia. In Norway, it only appears irregularly as a result of natural migration, and it has been assessed as unsuitable (NA) for the Norwegian Red List of Species 2021.

Biology

The larva is cylindrical and slightly hairy, dark with yellow stripes and rows of branched thorns, and it lives, among other things, on goat willow (Salix spp.).