Erebia ligea
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Erebia ligea, the Arran brown, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. This brown is widespread in south-eastern and northern Europe. It prefers mixed woodlands at low altitudes. It is rarely seen in open areas. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, and the type locality is Sweden.
The Arran brown is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of between 30 and 46 mm (1.2 and 1.8 in). Females tend to be a little larger than males. The upperside of both the forewings and hindwings is dark greyish brown with a reddish-orange strip near the margin along which runs a series of black spots. Many of the spots are small but some have white centres. The underside of the forewing is dark brown with a reddish strip with black, white-centred eyespots near the outer edge. The underside of the hindwing is brown, edged with a row of more or less distinct dark coloured eyespots. The basal side of these is close to the centre of wing and there are one or two patches of white. The basal part of the hindwing of the female is a darker brown than the rest of the wing.
Wheeler (1903) gives a short description... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 2 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Arran Brown sighting in Mercantour National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 152nd most-seen of the 412 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Arran Brown in Mercantour National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. Those are among Mercantour National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in October.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Arran Brown sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Arran Brown sightings, Mercantour National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 20%) and Vanoise National Park (France, about 20%).
Same genus: Erebia
The closest relatives of the Arran Brown that you can see in Mercantour National Park (genus Erebia, Alpines) are Almond Ringlet (about 40%), Large Ringlet (about 40%) and Common Brassy Ringlet (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Arran Brown is recorded against all the insects logged in Mercantour National Park (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
