Erebia melampus
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Erebia melampus, the lesser mountain ringlet, is a member of the subfamily Satyrinae of the family Nymphalidae. This European endemic species occurs in the Alps from the Maritime Alps to eastern Austria (France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Austria). It prefers grassy places, in woodland or in open areas, at an elevation of 800–2,400 metres (2,600–7,900 ft) above sea level.
The wingspan is 30–36 mm. These small butterflies have brown wings. Forewings show a postmedian band of orange oval to round markings containing small black spots. Hindwings have three or four postdiscal eyespots. E. melampus Fuessl. (= janthe Hbn., aetherius Esp., arete Bell.) (36 b). One of the commonest Erebias of the Alps. Other districts where it occurs are the Pyrenees, the High Tatra and the western and southern Carpathian Mts. The ground-colour is black-brown, the margin reddish grey, the antenna blackish above, whitish grey beneath. The forewing has a russet macular band, interrupted by the veins, bearing in the same 2—3, more rarely 4 black ocelli. On the hindwing there are before the distal margin 3—4 ovate ferruginous... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Mountain Ringlet sighting in Vanoise National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 27th most-seen of the 308 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Mountain Ringlet in Vanoise National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September–October and December–June, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Mountain Ringlet sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Lesser Mountain Ringlet sightings, Vanoise National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria, about 10%).
Same genus: Erebia
The closest relatives of the Lesser Mountain Ringlet that you can see in Vanoise National Park (genus Erebia, Alpines) are Common Brassy Ringlet (about 40%), Large Ringlet (about 30%) and Almond Ringlet (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Mountain Ringlet is recorded against all the insects logged in Vanoise National Park (37 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.
