Male, Switzerland, July 2006
Male, Switzerland, July 2009
Male, Switzerland, July 2009
In Switzerland, this is a very dark ringlet, the males sometimes being
completely unmarked on the upperside. The underside is characteristic,
though, having violet or purplish reflections over a marbled pattern.
It seems to be one of the later ringlets to come on the wing - I
typically see very fresh males towards the end of July. It flies in
other mountainous regions of southern Europe too, but outside
Switzerland is brighter on the upperside, resembling Scotch argus but
lacking the constriction in the red band of that species.