Small mountain ringlet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Small mountain ringlet |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Canillo, Andorra | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification |
The small mountain ringlet or mountain ringlet (Erebia epiphron) is a type of butterfly that belongs to the Nymphalidae family. You can find this butterfly in the high, mountainous areas of southern and central Europe.
Contents
Where Does the Mountain Ringlet Live?
This butterfly lives in the mountains of many European countries. These include Albania, Andorra, Austria, Great Britain, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland. It also lives in parts of former Yugoslavia, like Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia.
Mountain Ringlets in Great Britain
The small mountain ringlet is the only butterfly in Britain that truly lives in alpine tundra areas. These are cold, high-altitude places. The young butterflies, called larvae, eat a plant called moor matgrass. They often live near bogs and springs. Adult butterflies drink nectar from plants like bilberry, tormentil, and heath bedstraw.
Life Cycle of the Mountain Ringlet
The small mountain ringlet butterfly goes through several stages in its life.
Egg Stage
Female butterflies lay pale cream-colored eggs one at a time. Each female can lay up to 70 eggs. The eggs usually hatch after two or three weeks.
Larva Stage (Caterpillar)
The larva, or caterpillar, is green. It has two white or yellowish lines on its back and one on its side. When winter comes, the third-stage larvae hide in clumps of grass to sleep (hibernate). They wake up in spring and start eating again. Some larvae might stay in this stage for two years. This happens if spring comes late and summer is short, which means they don't grow enough.
Caterpillars have been seen eating different types of grass. These include Aira praecox, Deschampsia cespitosa, Festuca ovina, moor matgrass, and Poa annua.
Pupa Stage
After the larva stage, the caterpillar forms a pupa. This is like a cocoon. The pupa is made deep inside grass clumps and is covered in a loose silk structure. The pupa stage lasts about three weeks.
Adult Butterfly Stage
The adult butterflies only fly for a very short time, usually a few weeks. This flight period is from June to August, depending on how high up in the mountains they live.
What Does the Mountain Ringlet Look Like?
The small mountain ringlet is a small butterfly.
Adult Butterflies
These butterflies have a wingspan of about 16 to 22 millimeters. The most common type, called epiphron, has clear orange bands on its front wings. On its back wings, the bands are almost complete. Female butterflies often have black dots with white centers on their back wings. Males sometimes have these too.
Another common form, called cassiope, is found in Britain. In this form, the orange bands on the front wings are often narrower or not as complete. The band on the back wing is usually broken into three or four rings. The black dots are often smaller and don't have white centers. Female cassiope butterflies are a bit larger, and their bands are paler.
The markings on these butterflies can vary a lot. Sometimes, the bands on the front wings become smaller and smaller until they are just rings around the black dots. The black dots can also get smaller and disappear completely. This can leave a plain, dark brown butterfly.
Early Life Stages
When an egg is first laid, it is yellow. It then changes to a fawn color with darker marks, especially near the top. Eggs are laid on grass blades in July. The young caterpillar hatches in about sixteen days.
Before the caterpillar hibernates in October, it is greenish. It has darker green and yellow lines. Its head is brownish. Caterpillars eat various grasses, but they seem to prefer mat grass.
The pupa is a little over three-eighths of an inch long. It is light green on its back and wing cases. The abdomen is a pale drab or dirty white color. There is a dark brown line on its back.
Subspecies of the Mountain Ringlet
There are different types, or subspecies, of the small mountain ringlet butterfly. Some of these include:
- Erebia epiphron epiphron (found in the Harz Mountains)
- Erebia epiphron aetheria
- Erebia epiphron mnemon
- Erebia epiphron pyreanica
- Erebia epiphron transylvanica
- Erebia epiphron orientalis (found in Bulgaria)
