I had not seen neoridas before 2006 because my visits to France were in July, and the reason is now clear why: they do not emerge until mid-August. However, when they do come out they are everywhere, and often very common. They do not require the minimum altitude levels of many Erebia (Lafranchis says as low as 500m), and I have found them at 600m and above, up to 1800m. As with most Erebia, the female uppersides have more extensive and wider orange bands and larger ocelli, and the orange patches are quite jagged (more jagged on the unf band), whereas most Erebia have smooth-edged bands (it seems to me), so this may help in identifying it.

observations

a male(?), with a strong red upf post-discal band extending well into s1. The three uph ocelli are very large, touching and even cutting the lower edge of the band, and with very bright white centres, much stronger than the illustration in T&L, and suggesting female, but I feel it is a male based on what can be seen of the body shape.

a typical male.

a female, with an unusually narrow upf red post-discal band (for a female) but large ocelli, and a surprisingly poorly developed uph red band and ocelli.

a female, based on the stronger ocelli and slightly lighter brown ground colour, and confirmed by the body shape.

I have included this rather worn female only because of the upf ocelli in s6, which I don't think I have ever seen on neoridas. Equally strangely, the left s6 ocellus is quite large and only just to the left of centre, whereas the right ocellus is much smaller and quite displaced externally. The same is true for the ocelli in s3. I rarely find that markings are not mirrored, even aberrations.

a female, rather worn but posing nicely.

a male. The female underside is generally much lighter.

a female, based on the lighter colouring and the pronounce post-discal band.

a female, the colour contrast of the post-discal band being less than average for a female, I would say.