| Family | Nymphalidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Satyrinae |
| Genus | Erebia |
| Species | aethiops |
| Authority | (Esper, 1777) |
| English Name | Scotch Argus |
| European Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
| European Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| Habitats Directive | |
| Bern Convention | |
| CITES |
The Scotch Argus can be found in a wide variety of habitats. It inhabits flower-rich grasslands and grassy woodland clearings, and can also be found on heathland, bogs and marshy areas with very open woodland. Many different grasses can be used as a foodplant, such as Purple Moor-grass (Molinea caerulea), Blue Moor-grass (Sesleria albicans), Tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum), Cock’s-foot (Dactylus glomerata), fescues (Festuca spp.), cat’s-tails (Phleum spp.), Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), and Quaking Grass (Briza media), and also sedges (Carex spp.). The caterpillar hibernates in the second or third larval instar. It pupates in the litter layer, and is single-brooded.
Albania / Austria / Belarus / Belgium / Belgium: Flanders (Irregular Vagrant) / Belgium: Wallonia / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Czechia / France / France: Mainland / Germany / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Hungary / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Latvia / Liechtenstein / Lithuania (Regionally Extinct) / Luxembourg (Regionally Extinct) / North Macedonia / Montenegro / Netherlands (Irregular Vagrant) / Poland / Romania / European Russia / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Switzerland / Ukraine / United Kingdom / United Kingdom: Great Britain /