| Common brassy ringlet | |
|---|---|
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| E. c. arvernensis - female upperside | |
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| E. c. arvernensis - underside | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Erebia |
| Species: | E. cassioides |
| Binomial name | |
| Erebia cassioides (Reiner & Hohenwarth, 1792) | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Erebia cassioides, the common brassy ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of family Nymphalidae.
Subspecies include: [1]
On the basis of studies of enzymatic electrophoresis and of mitochondrial DNA the subspecies Erebia cassioides arvernensis should be considered a distinct species named Erebia dromus (Fabricius, 1793), [4] which is distributed in the western Pyrenees, in the western Alps and in Apennines. [5] [6]
This European endemic species is present in Spain (Cantabrian mountains, Pyrenees), France (Pyrenees, Massif Central and the western and eastern Alps), Italy, Switzerland, Romania (Carpathians), Bulgaria (Rila and Pirin Mountains.), Greece, North Macedonia and in the Balkans (Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia). It prefers grassy slopes with stones and rocks at altitudes between 1,600 and 2,600 meters. [7] [8] [9]
The wingspan is 32–38 mm. [10] These small butterflies have a brown forewings with a metallic-greenish shine, the so-called "brassy ringlet". On the forewings there is an orange postdiscal band and two small ocelli pupillated with white towards the apex. A series of small ocelli appears on the hindwings. The underside of the forewings is orange with a brownish border and two small ocelli at the apex, while the hindwings are shiny silvery gray and ocher. [11]
E. cassioides is a member of the brassy ringlet species complex.
The females lay their eggs close to the ground, usually on dry stalks of grass. The larvae feed on various grasses ( Festuca ovina , Poa species, Nardus stricta ), including Gramineae species. The caterpillar hibernates in the first or second larval instar and pupates the following year between June and August. [7] Adults fly from July to September with a peak in August.
Erebia is a Holarctic genus of brush-footed butterflies, family Nymphalidae. Most of the about 90–100 species are dark brown or black in color, with reddish-brown to orange or more rarely yellowish wing blotches or bands. These usually bear black spots within, which sometimes have white center spots.
Erebia euryale, the large ringlet, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae.
Erebia medusa, the woodland ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.
Erebia tyndarus, the Swiss brassy ringlet, is a European brush-footed butterfly species of the subfamily Satyrinae.
The Piedmont ringlet is a member of the family Nymphalidae. It is an Alpine butterfly.
The yellow-spotted ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is associated with (sub)alpine meadows at 900–2,500 m above sea level. It is found in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Cantabrian Mountains, the Massif Central, the Vosges Mountains, the Carpathian Mountains and the mountains of Herzegovina.
The bright eyed ringlet is a member of the Satyridae subfamily of Nymphalidae. It is a high mountain butterfly found in the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Alps and Balkan mountains. It has recently been confirmed to occur in the southern chain of the Carpathians.
The autumn ringlet is a member of the Satyridae subfamily of the family Nymphalidae. It is a high-mountain butterfly found in the Pyrenees, Alps and in Italy.
The silky ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is a high-altitude butterfly found on screes in the Alps, Pyrenees, central Italy and the Balkans. It is a very variable butterfly.
The marbled ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.
The de Prunner's ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.
The Styrian ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is a mountain butterfly found in the Austrian and Italian Alps, Croatia and Slovenia.
The black ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is a high-altitude butterfly found in Albania, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania.
The sooty ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of family Nymphalidae. It is a high-altitude butterfly found in the Alps and Apennine Mountains on heights between 1,900 and 3,000 meters in Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia.
Mnestra's ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is a mountain butterfly found in the Alps of Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland. The Mnestra's ringlet is named for Mnestra, a daughter of Erysichthon, king of Thessaly in Greek mythology.
The water ringlet is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of family Nymphalidae. It is a high altitude butterfly found in the Alps, Bavaria, Styria, Pyrenees, Carpathians and Bulgaria.
The brassy ringlets are a species group of ringlet butterflies in the genus Erebia. Though closely related, their monophyly is not completely resolved. Still, the brassy ringlets are taxa similar to E. tyndarus – the Swiss brassy ringlet –, and in many cases certainly close relatives. A notable trait of their genus is an ability to adapt well to cold and somewhat arid habitat, like taiga or regions with alpine climate. Optimal habitat in Eurasia, where most of the brassy ringlets are found, therefore occurs in two distinct belts – in the very north of the continent and in the Alpide belt – in interglacials, and in glacials in one periglacialic belt at lower altitude, in places interrupted by dry wasteland and deserts.
Erebia pandrose, the dewy ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. It is found from the Arctic areas of northern Europe, the Pyrenees, Alps, the Apennine Mountains, the Carpathian Mountains, Kola Peninsula and Kanin Peninsula, part of the Ural and the Altai and Sayan Mountains up to Mongolia.
Erebia melampus, the lesser mountain ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae.
The Stygian ringlet is a butterfly belonging to the subfamily Satyrinae, the "browns", within the family Nymphalidae. It is found locally in the Alps on dry limestone slopes. It is very similar to the Styrian ringlet and has sometimes been included in that species.