A notable trait of their genus is an ability to adapt well to cold and somewhat arid habitat, like taiga or regions with alpine climate.

The largest eyespots are placed, two on each side, near the wingtip, and have a white dot in the center; they are surrounded by a copper-colored patch that is lighter than the blackish-brown upperwings.

The wing undersides are cryptically colored, usually in grayish-brown and often with a noticeable band arching through the central hindwing, the rest of which has a silvery sheen which makes these species quite recognizable in flight.

Though one might suspect stronger differentiation and perhaps marked cryptic speciation across the wide range, the Rocky Mountains population is apparently a very recent isolate.

Thus, brassy ringlets are present on the North American continent quite exactly for the same length of time as a significant human population.

Therefore, though E. callias might be split up on grounds of biogeography and ecology, the molecular and morphological data are still more in favor of retaining a single species.

[2] See also the discussion by Gratton, P. et al.[3] Based on analyses of mtDNA NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 and CoxII sequence, ecological, and morphological data, the following species and well-distinct subspecies ought to be recognized:[2]