Yellow-spotted Ringlet (Erebia manto)

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2023 photographs highlighted in green. Click on any photograph to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.

23321_male_Vaud, Switzerland_27Jul10 18861_male_Haute-Savoie_19Jul09 18854_male_Haute-Savoie_19Jul09 38651_male_Pyrénées-Orientales_17Jul15
38518_female_Cantal_14Jul15 8979_female_Hautes-Pyrénées_9Aug07 48326_male_Pyrénées-Orientales_12Jul21 48332_male_Pyrénées-Orientales_12Jul21
18692_male_Savoie_16Jul09 18858_male_Haute-Savoie_19Jul09 44141_male_Hautes-Pyrénées_11Jul17 18708_female_Savoie_16Jul09
     
05_28-19_pair_Hautes-Pyrénées_28Jul05      

A butterfly of principally the Alpes and Pyrénées, although there are other populations of different subspecies in Europe. The shots from the Alpes and Switzerland are of the nominate form with the characteristic unh orange spots quite well-developed. The shots from the Pyrénées and Cantal are of the subspecies constans in which the male is uniformly dark brown on both the upperside and underside and the female has greatly reduced yellow spots on the unh.

 

The nominate form is relatively easy (certainly in the case of the female) to identify from the underside, whereas the upperside is not so clear-cut; the upf has two blind ocelli in s4 and s5 with surrounding red post-discal band, often of distinctly lanceolate shape so that the red patches are not quite merged, and often a red patch with no ocellus in s3. There is sometimes a small ocellus or vestigial red patch in s2.

There is some difficulty, in my inexperienced eyes, at least, in differentiating some manto specimens from the Eriphyle Ringlet (E. eriphyle), which occurs in Switzerland (but not, it is believed, in France), although I have never seen it. Well, not knowingly. The orange manto marks on the hindwing, both upperside and underside, vary quite considerably, from being complete to occurring only in s4. The key identification feature of eriphyle is that the mark in s4 is significantly larger than the others; this is true for some specimens on this page but I do not feel they are eriphyle, mainly because the shape is rather manto-like. However, 18854 looks perfect for eriphyle, as does 18858 to a lesser extent. However, eriphyle does not occur in France, so that problem resolves itself. See also the page for the Lesser Mountain Ringlet (E. melampus).

 

Manto could also possibly be confused with the sometimes inappropriately-named Bright-eyed Ringlet (E. oeme) because the upf oeme ocelli can be small and blind, although the oeme red patches surrounding the ocelli are rather narrower. H&R refers to this as oeme subspecies lugens. However, I have limited experience and have not been able to compare uppersides of manto and oeme with accompanying underside shots which should be definitive with regard to identification. Hence the uncertainty expressed below.

ref sex

observations

alt. m
23321 M

I believe these blind ocelli are indicative of manto, and that oeme and alberganus can be eliminated.

1850
18861 M

a typical male manto.

1400
18854 M

a lightly marked male, with trademark vertical orange marking on the uph s4. As such, it looks to be a perfect candidate for eriphyle? Comment invited.

1400
38651 M a male upperside of the subspecies constans, black and almost completely unmarked. 1730
38518 F a female of the subspecies constans with very much reduced markings, although the T&L illustration shows the female to almost completely unmarked. 1650
8979 F

clearly a female, from the body shape, of the subspecies constans.

1700
48326 M a male of the subspecies constans, a very fresh example. 1820
48332 M a male of the subspecies constans, slightly less fresh than 48326, and seen at the same location. 1820
18692 M

the angle and lighting of the photograph makes the orange markings appear less distinct, but they are unmistakeably manto.

1850
18858 M

very lightly marked, but the unf ocelli and red band, and the weak but slightly elongated unh orange mark in s4 are pointers to manto.

1400
44141 M a male of the subspecies constans, difficult to photograph as it was constantly on the move, but it at least does show the black and unmarked underside. 1600
18708 F

a typical and quite heavily-marked female, showing why it is so-named. The spots are so large they have fused to become a strong yellow-orange band. Impossible to confuse with any other species in France.

1850
05_28-19 PAIR

a mating pair from the Pyrénées, of the subspecies constans, the female on the left showing the reduced unh markings.

 

 

23321_male_Vaud, Switzerland_27Jul10

 

18861_male_Haute-Savoie_19Jul09

 

18854_male_Haute-Savoie_19Jul09

 

38651_male_Pyrénées-Orientales_17Jul15

 

38518_female_Cantal_14Jul15

 

8979_female_Hautes-Pyrénées_9Aug07

 

48326_male_Pyrénées-Orientales_12Jul21

 

48332_male_Pyrénées-Orientales_12Jul21

 

18692_male_Savoie_16Jul09

 

18858_male_Haute-Savoie_19Jul09

 

44141_male_Hautes-Pyrénées_11Jul17

 

18708_female_Savoie_16Jul09

 

05_28-19_pair_Hautes-Pyrénées_28Jul05