Arran Brown (Erebia ligea)

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2023 photographs highlighted in green. Click on any photograph to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.

17812_male?_Isère_11Jul09 48800_male_Haute-Savoie_26Jul21 44438_female_Alpes-Maritimes_17Jul17 8479_female_Haute-Savoie_23Jul07
22447_female_Isère_17Jul10 47681_female_Haute-Savoie_25Jul20 8466_female_Haute-Savoie_23Jul07 47560_female_Hautes-Alpes_21Jul20
   
49957_female_Isère_16Jul22 49965_female_Isère_16Jul22    

Ligea is a large Erebia and can be identified by the strongly chequered fringes (not very clear in 17812 above, as ageing can dull the contrast of the fringes), and the three large white-pupilled upf ocelli in s2, s4/5 (often fused in the female), plus possible ocelli of variable size in s3 and occasionally s1. It also has a wide red upf post-discal band of almost constant width from s2 to s6, tapering at s1. The lower end of the altitude range given by Lafranchis is 400m, although I have not encountered it below 1000m.

 

It could be confused with the probably erroneously-named (as I find ligea to be larger) Large Ringlet (E. euryale) where the euryale ocelli are usually blind, at least in the nominate form. The euryale subspecies adyte, which occurs in south eastern France and has white-pupilled ocelli and generally more chequered fringes, is more likely to be confused with ligea, where adyte occurs. However, the ligea unh has a clear white streak from the costa to s5, more pronounced in the female, which adyte has not.

This is another misnamed butterfly as there is no conclusive evidence that it ever occurred on the Isle of Arran, and it certainly does not now. Historically, some specimens from the 19th century purport to have been taken on Arran. As the specimens exist, it is unlikely they have been misidentified (the undersides would be definitive), but there may be doubt as to where they were taken.

H&R casts doubt on the authenticity of these records, and Lionel Higgins was noted as being very rigorous in his approach. Lowland specimens of the Scotch Argus (E. aethiops), especially the female, can look remarkably like ligea. But the English names tend to stick, right or wrong, like Bath White, Camberwell Beauty, Essex Skipper, Lulworth Skipper, etc.

ref sex

observations

alt. m
17812 M this is from the same small colony as 17811, so I have both an upperside and an underside to work on. I believe it is a male based on the body length and what is visible of the body shape, and the fact that the ocelli are not as pronounced (c.f. 8479, a known female). 1370
48800 M a male, warming up in a brief period of weak sun, as is usually the case with Erebia, deep in the grass. 1400
44438 F a female, rather pale with some loss of scales, but this seems to be a species that is difficult to photograph with open wings. 1550
8479 F

clearly a female based on body shape and the four huge upf post-discal ocelli with large clear white centres. The edges of the red post-discal bands on both wings are quite jagged.

1410
22447 F

a female, from the same location as 17812. The ocelli are probably normal for female ligea.

1370
47681 F a female, based on body shape and the strength of the ocelli. 1400
8466 F

clearly a female, based on the length of the unh white mark, although it could be mistaken for euryale subspecies adyte (the white mark is much larger than that shown in T&L for ligea) except for the very well-developed unh ocelli which clearly point to ligea.

1410
47560 F a female I believe, even though I would expect the unh ocelli to be yellow-ringed for a female.  1250
49957 F I think this is a female, but I have my doubts even though the white post-discal band is extensive. This band is very variable and may not be totally reliable way of sexing ligea. 1020
49965 F I also think this is a female even though the white post-discal band is quite short, as enough of the body shape is visible to suggest female. 1020

 

17812_male?_Isère_11Jul09

 

48800_male_Haute-Savoie_26Jul21

 

44438_female_Alpes-Maritimes_17Jul17

 

8479_female_Haute-Savoie_23Jul07

 

22447_female_Isère_17Jul10

 

47681_female_Haute-Savoie_25Jul20

 

8466_female_Haute-Savoie_23Jul07

 

47560_female_Hautes-Alpes_21Jul20

 

49957_female_Isère_16Jul22

 

49965_female_Isère_16Jul22