Erebia euryale
Erebia euryale, the large ringlet, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae.
Subspecies
Subspecies include: Erebia euryale adyte Hübner, 1822 Erebia euryale etobyma Fruhstorfer, 1910Erebia euryale euryale Erebia euryale huebneri Oberthür, 1912Erebia euryale isarica Heyne, 1895 Erebia euryale ocellaris Staudinger, 1861 Erebia euryale syrmia Fruhstorfer, 1909
Distribution and habitat
This species is endemic to Europe. It can be found in southern Europe, in the Alps, Cantabrian, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Balkans, in northern Europe from Finland to the Urals and in Altai. Erebia euryale is an alpine species. It lives in spruce forest clearings, glades, slopes, subalpine meadows and damp meadows at an elevation of above sea level.
Description
Erebia euryale has a wingspan of 20–23 mm. These butterflies have a considerable geographic variation. Usually the upperside of the forewings is dark brown with a reddish-orange postmedian band marked with three or four oval ocelli, with white pupils in the females, often blind or reduced to small dots in the males. All wings show chequered fringes. The forewings of the males do not show androconial area. The upperside of each hindwing usually has three eyespots surrounded by orange. The underside hindwings of the females shows a diffuse clear or whitish band, strongly dentate. The caterpillar and the chrysalis are pinkish brown. This species is rather similar to Erebia ligea.
Biology
This species is univoltine. It overwinters a first year as an egg, a second year as a caterpillar. The eggs, pearly grey, hatch in the spring. Adults fly from June to September. They feed at mountain flowers, specially at yellow daisies. Caterpillars feed on various grasses.