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Nicholl's Ringlet
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Rila Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Rila Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Rila Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Rila Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Rila Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Rila Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Rila Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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| The resemblance to the False Mnestra
Ringlet, E. aethiopella is clear, and there is more than a passing
resemblance to the Mnestra Ringlet, E. mnestra too. All markings,
pointed wing tips and habitat all seem closely similar. It is no surprise
that rhodopensis was once considered to be subspeices of
aethiopella. Geographically rhodopensis is localised to a few
mountain ranges in Bulgaria, Greece and FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia) where it can be very common
in small and local colonies. Aethiopella is similarly very local
and often common in the mountain of the French Alps and neighbouring
Italy. We found rhodopensis fairly easily in
the Rila Mts of Bulgaria where it emerged during the middle of July 2004.
Oddly though we didn’t find it on similar habitat in the Pirin Mts during
the same period. In places it was flying with the other speciality of this
region, the Bulgarian Ringlet, E. orientalis. It flies at high
altitudes, we found it as low as 1800m, but more commonly from 2100 to
2400m. It prefers open grassy places where it is attracted to large
orange-yellow Compositae. |
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