Woodland Ringlet (erebia medusa)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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Not much of a shot, but enough to confirm medusa, especially as the only possible species it could be confused with is the Almond-eyed Ringlet (E. alberganus) which is an altitude specialist and this was taken at very much a low level location. It is the only one I have ever seen and was lucky to get even this shot by the roadside before traffic scared it off. It is a butterfly of eastern France, not occurring in the south.
1970: there are some chunks missing from the hindwing. The unf post-discal band looks quite wide at s4/5, extending internally. It's hard to tell whether it is male or female, as the sexes have very similar undersides and there's not much on view, but I'd go for female if I had to, on the basis of the slightly larger red markings and bold ocelli. Altitude 380m.
