Bright-eyed Ringlet (Erebia oeme)
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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| 12991_male_Valais, Switzerland_15Jul08 | 7866_female_Hautes Alpes_4Jul07 | 8172_female_Vaud, Switzerland_19Jul07 |
Oeme has (usually) very characteristic white-pupilled ocelli especially in the upf s4 and s5, although I suspect it gets its name from the distinctive unh ocelli with clear white centres. The ocelli of the female are larger and brighter on both surfaces. The underside could be confused with the Woodland Ringlet (E. medusa) although medusa has four unh ocelli to oeme's five. Oeme is generally an altitude species, although medusa's range is from sea level to as high as 1800m. I see it fairly regularly but only ever in singles or very small numbers. In some populations oeme can have very small ocelli, even blind (with no white pupils) which can lead to confusion in identification, especially with the Yellow-spotted Ringlet (Erebia manto), although my feeling is that if oeme ocelli are blind, they are still quite large i.e. not pinpricks, and that the surrounding red post-discal bands hug the ocelli quite closely, compared with manto where the red bands can be quite wide. 18845 on the manto page is an example.
12991: a male, only bright-eyed in name, not in character. It is only the small white pupils that lead me to oeme, without which manto would be an option. Altitude 1700m.
7866: this female is typical oeme with characteristic small but bold upperside ocelli, although it does not quite live up live up to the expectation created by its name. Altitude 1750m.
8172: a female, based on body shape, and on the larger and brighter ocelli on both wings. There is an additional ocellus in upf s2 and a very small one, even with a white pupil, in s3; the red band is very narrow and almost looks like extra red rings around the ocelli. Altitude 1550m.
12991_male_Valais, Switzerland_15Jul08
7866_female_Hautes Alpes_4Jul07
8172_female_Vaud, Switzerland_19Jul07
