| Family | Nymphalidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Satyrinae |
| Genus | Erebia |
| Species | pluto |
| Authority | (Prunner, 1798) |
| English Name | Sooty Ringlet |
| 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 Sooty Ringlet is a butterfly of mountainous areas with everlasting snows and glaciers. It occurs high up, on steep screes and moraines, breeding on patches with a mosaic of sparse vegetation and small stones. The female deposits the pale-coloured eggs on mostly light-coloured stones. Once the caterpillar has emerged from the egg, it sometimes has to travel some distance before finding one of the grasses it uses as a foodplant. Caterpillars have been found on the fescues Festuca halleri and F. quadriflora, as well as on Annual Meadow-grass (Poa annua). The caterpillars take two or possibly three years to develop.
Austria / France / France: Mainland / Germany / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Liechtenstein / Slovenia / Switzerland /