Common Brassy Ringlet (erebia cassioides)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 3735_male_Alpes de Haute Provence_14Aug06 | 04_55-10_male_Hautes Alpes_30Jul04 | 8998_female_Hautes Pyrenees_9Aug07 |
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| 3842_female_Alpes de Haute Provence_14Aug06 |
This is the commonest (hence the name) of a group of erebia known collectively as "brassy" ringlets, as they all exhibit a brassy sheen on the upperside, often visible in flight.
The Col de Vars in the Hautes Alpes is at an of altitude 2100m. Until 2006 this was the only place I had seen cassioides and when I first saw it in 2004 it took a few moments to realise what it was, especially as the underside has a silvery appearance in flight. However, having visited several other high altitude locations in 2006 and 2007, I have found it quite regularly, and in some places in good numbers, but always above 1800m. Curiously, I did not see it at all in 2008. Lafranchis gives the minimum altitude as 1400m.
3735: a typical male upperside in terms of markings, principally that the upf red post-discal band only just surrounds the two ocelli. In the female it extends further down as shown in 8998. It is quite a pale brown, which would normally indicate female, but the colour may be due to wear. The body shape is clearly male. Altitude 2000m.
04_55-10: a male underside, showing the paler colouring with very little markings. A poor, old, photo, but the best male underside I have at the moment.
8998: a female cassioides, as clearly indicated by the body shape. It is of the form arvernensis which occurs in the Pyrenees, with larger and fused upf ocelli, a brighter red upf post-discal band, and more prominent uph white centres to the ocelli. It was in the right territory for the Pyrenean Brassy Ringlet (E. rondoui), but rondoui has the upf ocelli merged to the extent that it is a single ocellus with two white centres. Altitude 1700m.
3842: a female, as indicated by the duller, browner, ground colour, and prominent discal line.
3735_male_Alpes de Haute Provence_14Aug06
04_55-10_male_Hautes Alpes_30Jul04
8998_female_Hautes Pyrenees_9Aug07
3842_female_Alpes de Haute Provence_14Aug06
