Mountain Ringlet vs Fifteen-Spotted Lady Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Mountain Ringlet Fifteen-Spotted Lady Beetle
Scientific Name Erebia epiphron Anatis labiculata
Order Lepidoptera Coleoptera
Family Nymphalidae Coccinellidae
Size 32-38 mm wingspan 7-10 mm
Habitat Mountains Forests
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Mountain ranges of Europe (Alps, Pyrenees, Scotland, Lake District) North America
Conservation Least Concern (vulnerable to climate change) Least Concern

Mountain Ringlet

A small dark brown butterfly with orange-ringed eyespots found only at high altitudes. In Britain it is the only truly alpine butterfly, flying above 500 metres.

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Did You Know?

It only flies in sunshine and immediately drops into the grass the moment a cloud covers the sun.

Fifteen-Spotted Lady Beetle

One of the largest North American ladybirds with white or grey elytra bearing fifteen dark spots. It is a canopy-dwelling species found mainly in coniferous forests.

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Did You Know?

When disturbed, it releases a pungent alkaloid-laden hemolymph from its leg joints as a defense.