Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nymphalidae Scientific name Erebia alberganus | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Erebia Rank Species | |
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Similar Erebia melampus, Bright eyed ringlet, Sooty ringlet, Erebia cassioides, Erebia pharte | ||
Erebia alberganus (almond ringlet or almond-eyed ringlet) is a member of the family Nymphalidae.
Contents
Subspecies
Distribution and habitat
This species can be found in the alpine regions of France, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria, in the mountains of central Italy and in some mountains of the northern Balkans. These butterflies live in flowery meadows, clearings, grassy places, amongst scrub or woodland, at an elevation of 1,000–2,200 metres (3,300–7,200 ft) above sea level.
Description
Erebia alberganus has a wingspan of 40 mm. These small butterflies have dark brown wings, with a series of distinctive postdiscal oval or almond shaped (hence the common name) orange markings containing small black spots with white highlights. The two sides of the wings are identical. The females usually are slightly larger and lighter brown than the males. Moreover the eyespots have small white centres.
This species is rather similar to a woodland ringlet but has smaller eyespots.
Biology
Caterpillars feed on Gramineae, Poa annua, sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina) and sweet vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum). When they are half-grown they hibernate. They pupate at the following spring. Adults fly from mid June to August.