Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 20.xii.2023

Erebia medusa / Woodland Ringlet
Zijoshja e pyllit
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae

Erebia medusa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775). TL: Vienna.

1a. Erebia medusa, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Erebia medusa ♀ uns, orange-brown antennal club. Cerem, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Erebia medusa ♂ upperside. Skenderbej, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Erebia medusa ♂ underside. Skenderbej, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Erebia medusa ♀ upperside. Cerem, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Erebia medusa ♀ underside. Cerem, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Erebia medusa ♀ underside. Mali i Ostrovicës, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Buff underside of the antennal club for ♂♂ and ♀♀.
Mid size butterfly. Fw: 23-25 mm.
Ups: dark brown gc, white-pupiled ocelli in an almost confluent band.
Upf: interrupted band at v3 with larger ocelli in s4 and s5 and smaller ocellus in s2. Rarely small ocelli in s1b and s6.
Uph: interrupted band with three to four slightly smaller ocelli.
Uns: paler brown gc, similar markings.
Unh: smaller ocelli with less bright pupils.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Unh: larger ocelli than ♂♂, less bright pupils.

Similar species

Erebia oeme Size:slightly smaller. ! for small high altitude forms of Erebia medusa. Underside antennal club black (variable) Upf: regular sm band. Upf: orange-red sm band. ! for small high altitude forms of Erebia medusa. Uph: larger gleaming white-pupilled ocelli. Unh: larger gleaming white-pupiled ocelli. Identification can be difficult. Identification based on ♂♂ genitalia is recommended in case of doubt.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from end-May to early August depending on altitude.
Egg: 10-16 days.
Caterpillar: overwintering as half-grown larva.
Pupa: 17-23 days.

Habitat
Erebia medusa inhabits damp meadows in op grasslands and in light woodland from 500 up to 2500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Carex nigra, C. praecox, Brachypodium pinnatum, Festuca ovina, F. rubra, Phleum pratense and Molinia caerulea, also mentioned are Agrostis capillaris, Avenella flexuosa, Bromus erectus, Deschampsia cespitosa, Digitaria sanguinalis, Milium effusum, Nardus stricta and Poa annua.
Butterflies feed on all kind of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: widespread in the Northern Albanian Alps, local in other mountain areas.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT* - ALP - BAL - NWE* - UK - SCA (sibling species: E. polaris) - EEU
Asia Minor*, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Erebia medusa is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: LC.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
euroButterflies

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