Butterflies of
Britain & Europe
Ringlet
Aphantopus
hyperantus
LINNAEUS, 1758
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
SATYRINAE
Tribe - SATYRINI
subtribe - MANIOLINA
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus,
male, Bentley Wood, Wiltshire |
Introduction
The Ringlet is a common
and widely distributed species found throughout Europe with the exception of
northern Scandinavia, peninsular Italy, Portugal, southern / central Spain,
and the Mediterranean islands. Beyond Europe it is found across much of temperate
Asia including Siberia, Mongolia, China and Korea.
The
sexes are virtually identical but the male has a barely visible dark diagonal
patch of androconial scales on the forewings, and the anal claspers at the tip
of his abdomen are visible when the wings are outspread.
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a "blind"
Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus, ab
caeca, Bentley Wood, Wiltshire |
There is considerable variation in the size and shape of the ocelli on the underside
wings. At certain sites a small percentage of the population have the yellow
rings absent, with the inner ocelli reduced to tiny dots. This form is known as ab.
caeca.
Another aberration occurs in which the ocelli are all enlarged and extended into a tear-drop or pear shape. This is known as ab. lanceolata.
Both forms are caused by the sporadic re-emergence of recessive genes. A number
of other named aberrations occur which are intermediate between these extremes.
The number of ocelli is constant, regardless of their size - there are 3 on each
forewing and 5 on each hindwing. It seems however that early entomologists
either had poor eyesight or couldn't count very well, as the butterfly was
originally known as the "Brown Seven Eyes" !
Scottish specimens tend to be smaller and duller in colour than those from
southern England.
In Britain the Ringlet can be confused in flight with the
male Meadow Brown, but the latter always has a trace of orange suffusion on the
outer half of the forewings, and a concave outer margin. It also lacks the
distinctive white fringes of the Ringlet, and has a completely different
underside pattern.
In
Europe and temperate Asia there are 2 similar species. The False Ringlet Coenonympha oedippus
is smaller. On the underside it has a silvery submarginal line on both wings,
and usually a narrow creamy band abutting the hindwing ocelli. The Woodland
Brown Lopinga achine
is larger than the Ringlet. It has prominent yellow-ringed ocelli on both wing
surfaces, and a broken white band abutting the ocelli on the underside hindwing.
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Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus, ab
arete, Stockbridge Down, Hampshire |
Habitats
In Britain Aphantopus hyperantus
is found commonly throughout most of England, but is scarcer in the north west.
In Scotland it is very common in the south west but scarce elsewhere, and absent
from the extreme north. Wales has strong populations in the valleys and low
lying areas. The butterfly is common throughout Ireland.
The
Ringlet breeds primarily in damp open woodlands, inhabiting rides and
glades where grasses grow tall and lush. At these sites populations often
contain several hundred individuals. It is found in much lesser
numbers on scrubby grassland, where it occupies damp, sheltered hollows which have escaped grazing.
Other habitats used by this species include hedgerows, ditches, railway cuttings, field margins and
narrow country lanes.
Populations vary considerably in
number from year to year at any given site, the controlling factor being the
weather. Most butterfly species seem to do best when a long cold winter is
followed by a warm and sunny summer, with moderate but regular rainfall. The
Ringlet however fares much better when the late spring and early summer are
dominated by overcast and damp weather. This is one of the few European
butterflies which will continue to fly during light rainfall. In hot dry summers
the butterflies are scarce, and it can take 2 or 3 years of wetter summers for
populations to recover.
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Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus,
Alice Holt forest, Hampshire |
Lifecycle
The adults emerge in
late June and early July, but the flight season is quite short, and the
butterfly has generally disappeared by the end of July.
Ringlets do not glue
their eggs to leaves, but instead drop them loosely as they sit on a blade of
grass. The eggs drop to the ground, although most adhere to grass blades as they
fall. Oviposition sites are usually close to bushes.
The eggs are shiny, almost spherical, tapering slightly towards the
top. They are pale buff in colour, becoming darker after a few days.
The
caterpillars hatch after about 2 weeks and feed nocturnally on the tender
blades of cock's foot grass Dactylis glomerata or
wood false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum. Other
species used less often include tufted hair grass Deschampsia caespitosa,
annual meadow grass Poa pratensis, and Agropyron repens.
Additional species are used in continental Europe. In September, when in the 2nd
or 3rd instar, they enter hibernation but awaken to feed on warmer evenings during the
winter.
In March of the following year they resume feeding
in earnest. They hide during the
day at the base of grass tufts, but at dusk crawl up to feed and can be observed
by torch-light resting on grass stems. If disturbed they roll into a ball and
drop to the ground.
The
larva becomes fully grown in late May, and is a dusky olive-brown colour with a
dark stripe along the back, and paler lines along the sides.
The
pupa is formed within a very flimsy cocoon ( little more than a few strands of
silk ), at the base of a tuft of grass. It is pale brown, marked on the wing
cases with darker streaks and tiny dots.
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Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus,
Bentley Wood, Wiltshire |
Adult behaviour
Ringlets
are noted for their characteristic flip-flop flight over short
distances, and rarely cover more than a few metres at a time. They
are most active in warm but overcast conditions, and will fly even
during light rain. When it is sunny they tend to spend long
periods at rest with wings closed, but in overcast conditions they
are more likely to be seen basking on bracken or other low
vegetation.
The
butterflies nectar
primarily at bramble blossom, and occasionally visit buttercups or
thistles.
Copulation takes
place in the late morning or early afternoon, and rarely lasts
longer than half an hour. When copulated the butterflies usually
sit on the stems or leaves of low herbage. I have not observed any
form of territorial behaviour. Copulation takes
place without any preliminary courtship ritual.
In June 2008 at
Alice Holt forest in Hampshire I witnessed an amusing incident
where a confused male spent about 2 minutes chasing a
freshly emerged Red Admiral around in tight circles. The Red Admiral
has a powerful flight, and could easily have escaped
the attentions of the Ringlet, but it chose to "play along", allowing the Ringlet to maintain close contact
throughout the sortie.
Overnight, and
during spells of wet weather Ringlets hide deep in
vegetation, choosing spots adjacent to bushes.
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