Large Ringlet

Erebia euryale has a wingspan of 20–23 mm. These butterflies have a considerable geographic variation. Usually the upperside of the forewings is dark brown with a reddish-orange postmedian band marked with three or four oval ocelli, with white pupils in the females, often blind or reduced to small dots in the males. All wings show chequered fringes. The forewings of the males do not show androconial area. The upperside of each hindwing usually has three eyespots surrounded by orange. The underside hindwings of the females shows a diffuse clear or whitish band, strongly dentate. The caterpillar and the chrysalis are pinkish brown. This species is rather similar to Erebia ligea.

This species is endemic to Europe. It can be found in southern Europe, in the Alps, Cantabrian, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Balkans, in northern Europe from Finland to the Urals and in Altai. Erebia euryale is an alpine species. It lives in spruce forest clearings, glades, slopes, subalpine meadows and damp meadows at an elevation of 500–2,600 metres (1,600–8,500 ft) above sea level.