Erebia flavofasciata Heyne, 1895

Host plants:
The species feeds especially on Festuca species (Poaceae).

Habitat:
Erebia flavofasciata inhabits steep grassy slopes with tufted Festuca species (e.g. Festuca ovina agg.) above the treeline to about 2600m above sea level. The adults are found more in higher growing grassy places, but the larvae prefer in contrast only moderately high, gappy stocks of Festuca.

Life cycle:
The life cycle is biennial. The caterpillar overwinters initially in the first, then at the penultimate instar (Sonderegger 2005). I found mature larvae in northern Ticino at Fusio in 2300m above sea level on a warm south-facing slope with the bug Jalla dumosa in the first half of May 2006, while in more flat places snow fields still dominated. The larvae were found during the day in the center of Festuca tufts, along with half-grown, even more hidden caterpillars of Erebia tyndarus and Erebia mnestra.

Endangerment factors:
Erebia flavofasciata is very localized and can be eradicated easily by local development measures (tourism).

Remarks:
Erebia flavofasciata is found in the northern Ticino in Switzerland, in southern Grisons, and very rare in neighbouring Italy. A locality is also known in Tyrol (Austria).