Autumn Ringlet (Erebia neoridas)
2009 photos highlighted in yellow. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 14222_male?_Var_6Sep08 | 14228_female_Var_6Sep08 | 19040_female_Lozere_26Aug09 |
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| 19124_female_Gard_27Aug09 | 9651_male_Var_12Sep07 | 14221_female_Var_6Sep08 |
I had not seen neoridas before 2006 (when I took my holidays in France 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 orange 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. The uph ocelli and orange patches are quite characteristic, too, with quite straight but jagged lower edges, with the ocelli often right at the lower edge of the red patches. It is a beautiful dark chocolate brown when fresh, with a velvety appearance. The underside is well-marked and quite characteristic, the female being appreciably lighter than the male, making confusion between the sexes unlikely from an underside view.
14222: 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. Altitude 780m.
14228: a female, based on the stronger ocelli and slightly lighter brown ground colour, and confirmed by the body shape. Altitude 780m.
19040: 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. Altitude 610m.
19124: a female, rather worn but posing nicely. Altitude 600m.
9651: a male. The female underside is generally much lighter. Altitude 780m.
14221: a female, based on the lighter colouring and the pronounce post-discal band. Altitude 780m.
