''Erebia cassioides'', the common brassy ringlet, is a member of the subfamily
Satyrinae
The Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a subfamily of the Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies). They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known divers ...
of family
Nymphalidae.
Subspecies
Subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
include:
*''Erebia cassioides cassioides'' – common brassy ringlet
*''Erebia cassioides arvernensis''
Oberthür 1908 - western brassy ringlet
*''Erebia cassioides carmenta''
Fruhstorfer, 1907 - western brassy ringlet
*''Erebia cassioides macedonica''
Buresch, 1918 (Bulgaria)
*''Erebia cassioides illyrica''
Lorkovic, 1953
*''Erebia cassioides tonalensis''
Arnscheid & Roos, 1976
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), which is distributed in the western Pyrenees, in the western Alps and in Apennines.
Distribution and habitat
This European endemic species is present in
Spain (
Cantabrian mountains,
Pyrenees),
France (Pyrenees,
Massif Central and the western and eastern
Alps),
Italy,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Romania (
Carpathians),
Bulgaria (Rila and Pirin Mountains.),
Greece,
North Macedonia and in the
Balkans (
Serbia,
Montenegro,
Albania and
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...
). It prefers grassy slopes with stones and rocks at altitudes between 1,600 and 2,600 meters.
[IUCN]
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/ref>
Description
The wingspan is 32–38 mm. 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.[Jérôme Albre, Charles Gers, Paul Sabatie]
Taxonomic notes on the species of the Erebia tyndarus group (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)
/ref>
Biology
The females lay their eggs close to the ground, usually on dry stalks of grass. The larvae feed on various grasses (''Festuca ovina
''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla'').
General description
It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...
'', ''Poa
''Poa'' is a genus of about 570 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass (mainly in Europe and Asia), bluegrass (mainly in North America), tussock (some New Zealand species), a ...
'' 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.[ Adults fly from July to September with a peak in August.
]
Gallery
Erebia_cassioides.jpg, Upperside
Erebia_cassioides.underside.jpg, Underside
Satyrinae - Erebia dromus.jpg, ''Erebia cassioides arvernensis''
Bibliography
*Albre (Jérôme), Gers (Charles) & Legal (Luc), 2008. Taxonomic notes on the species of the Erebia tyndarus group (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyridae). Lépidoptères- ''Revue des Lépidoptéristes de France'', vol. 17- N°39 : 12 - 28.
*''Guide des papillons d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord'' de Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington, éditions Delachaux et Niestlé, 1998 - ()
*van Swaay, C., Wynhoff, I., Verovnik, R., Wiemers, M., López Munguira, M., Maes, D., Sasic, M., Verstrael, T., Warren, M. & Settele, J. 2010. ''Erebia cassioides''.
References
External links
* Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil
Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2120601
Erebia
Butterflies of Europe
Butterflies described in 1792