Lesser Mountain Ringlet vs Raetzer's Ringlet

Erebia melampus compared with Erebia christi

Key Differences

• Lesser Mountain Ringlet is Least Concern while Raetzer's Ringlet is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lesser Mountain Ringlet	Raetzer's Ringlet
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (artrópodos)	Arthropoda (artrópodos)
Class same	Insecta (insecto)	Insecta (insecto)
Order same	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family same	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus same	Erebia	Erebia
Species	Erebia melampus	Erebia christi

Evolutionary Relationship

Lesser Mountain Ringlet and Raetzer's Ringlet share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Erebia.

Conservation Status

Lesser Mountain Ringlet

LC — Least Concern

Raetzer's Ringlet

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lesser Mountain Ringlet	Raetzer's Ringlet
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lesser Mountain Ringlet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

Raetzer's Ringlet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Italy and Switzerland. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇮🇹 Italy 🇨🇭 Switzerland