| Dusky grizzled skipper | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Pyrgus |
| Species: | P. cacaliae |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrgus cacaliae (Rambur, 1839) | |
The Dusky Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus cacaliae) is a species of skipper butterfly (family Hesperiidae).
Pyrgus cacaliae is comparatively large and the white spots on the upper side of the forewing are greatly reduced. The hind wing underside has a faded olive-green color with a long and a short point on the inner edge (similar to an exclamation mark). This feature also shows Pyrgus andromedae, but in Pyrgus cacaliae it does not stand out so clearly from the subsurface. Also the Alpine grizzled skipper is usually encountered at lower altitudes. It can also be distinguished by the smaller, fainter pale markings on the forewing and the less bold markings on the underwing. In cases of doubt, a genital examination is essential for a reliable determination. [1] Both sexes have the same markings, but the males are slightly darker in color. [2]
The caterpillar is usually dark in color with a darker topline. In ex ovo breeding, clay-yellow colored caterpillars were often observed in the last two stages. The head shield is black. The head and wing sheaths of the pupa are bluish with frosting; in the case of the abdomen, which is brown in its basic color, only the segment boundaries are left out. The ventral side has a distinctive drawing, consisting of a black central bar and each side of which consists of two black dots. The back side also shows black dots and lines. The dorsal cremaster is red-brown in color.
The species is widespread in the Central Pyrenees and from the western to the eastern Alps (from France to Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria). In addition, Pyrgus cacaliae occurs in the Balkans in the Dinaric Mountains of Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Central Carpathians of Romania and in the Rila, Pirin and Stara Planina Mountains of Bulgaria. [1]
On the one hand, Pyrgus cacaliae colonizes humid habitats such as rye bushes along streams, peatlands and springs. On the other hand, there is evidence from dry alpine lawns, mostly interlocking with rock debris. [1] In the Alps, the maximum distribution is between 1700 and 2500 meters above sea level. In Bavaria this species is recorded at altitudes of 1500–2300 m. [1]
The flight period in the Bavarian Alpine region extends from the end of June to the beginning of August. Pyrgus cacaliae can be detected in both even and odd years. [1]
According to observations from Switzerland and Austria, the eggs are laid individually on the underside of the leaves of the host plants: Potentilla erecta, Potentilla crantzii and Potentilla aurea . The wintering was observed in Switzerland as a caterpillar in the penultimate stage. Other observations show that after an egg rest of eleven days, the caterpillars hatch, only eat plants for a few days and then prepare for wintering. Observations from the Rätikon and Silvretta areas in Austria show a two-year development cycle with the first wintering in the first larval stage and a second wintering in the last larval or pupal stage. Imagos can be found every year due to a partial third hibernation. [1]
According to the current state of knowledge, the species is not endangered in the Alps, as the occurrence of Pyrgus cacaliae is mostly outside of agricultural areas or on extensively grazed mountain pastures. [1]
" Cacalia , in German Roßlattich". "Roßlattich" is now mostly regarded as one of many German names for Tussilago farfara. Originally, Adenostyles alpina [= Cacalia alpina, Tussilago cacalia] was very probably meant here. As with most Pyrgus species, it has nothing to do with the food of the caterpillar. [3]
Pyrgus malvae, the grizzled skipper, is a butterfly species from the family Hesperiidae. It is a small skipper (butterfly) with a chequered pattern on its wings that appears to be black and white. This butterfly can be found throughout Europe and is common in central and southern regions of England. The butterfly prefers three major types of habitat: woodland, grassland, and industrial. Referenced as a superspecies, Pyrgus malvae includes three semispecies: malvae, malvoides, and melotis. Eggs are laid on plants that will provide warmth and proper nutrition for development. As larvae, their movement is usually restricted to a single plant, on which they will build tents, unless they move onto a second host plant. Larvae then spin cocoons, usually on the last host plant they have occupied, where they remain until spring. Upon emerging as adult butterflies, grizzled skippers are quite active during the day and tend to favour blue or violet-coloured plants for food. They also possess multiple methods of communication; for example, vibrations are used to communicate with ants, and chemical secretions play a role in mating. Exhibiting territorial behaviour, males apply perching and patrolling strategies to mate with a desired female.
Pyrgus is a genus in the skippers butterfly family, Hesperiidae, known as the grizzled skippers. The name "checkered" or "chequered skipper" may also be applied to some species, but also refers to species in the genera Burnsius and Carterocephalus. They occur in the Holarctic with an additional group of species extending to the Neotropic.
The Large Grizzled skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.
Pyrgus warrenensis, the Warren's skipper, is a species of skipper. It is a strictly Alpine species.
Oberthür's grizzled skipper is a species of skipper.
Foulquier's grizzled skipper is a species of skipper. It has a limited distribution in central and southern France and adjacent areas of Spain and Italy and also Corsica. Within this range it can be quite common.
The Olive Skipper is a species of skipper.
The carline skipper is a butterfly and a species of the skipper. It is a montane butterfly only found in southwestern areas of the Alps. It can be an abundant species within this restricted range.
The Cinquefoil Skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.
The rosy grizzled skipper is a species of skipper.
Pyrgus sidae, the yellow-banded skipper, is a species of skipper. It is found in from the Iberian Peninsula through southern and eastern Europe, southeast France, the northwestern coastal areas of central Italy, then Istria and the Balkan peninsula, across Turkey, Transcaucasia, to Iran and Afghanistan. East of the Southern Ural mountains the range extends to northwest Kazakhstan and the west of the Tien Shan in the north.
The sandy grizzled skipper is a species of skipper. It has a restricted range in southeastern Europe with a small relict population in central Spain.
Spialia sertorius, commonly known as the red-underwing skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.
The safflower skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.
The Alpine Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper.
The northern grizzled skipper is a Holarctic species of skipper butterfly with a range in North America from the subarctic to the north, New Mexico to the south, and the Appalachian Mountains to the east.In the Palearctic the species which was described from Norway is distributed across Scandinavia and the northern part of European Russia across the Urals through northern Asia to the Altai.
Muschampia floccifera, the tufted skipper or tufted marbled skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.
Pyrgus malvoides, the Southern Grizzled Skipper, is a species of skipper.
Pyrgus centaureae wyandot, the Appalachian grizzled skipper, is a small, brown, gray and white butterfly known to inhabit parts of the Appalachian highlands and Northern Michigan. It can be identified by its characteristic checkered wing pattern formed by the scales on the fore- and hindwings. The butterflies are known to prefer sites with minimal vegetation, such as open areas in hardwood forests, as well as sites of recent disturbance. The skipper's main larval food plants include Canada cinquefoil and wild strawberry depending on the specific population's range. The butterfly is listed as a federal species of concern and holds a state endangered title in Ohio and New Jersey.
Hipparchia genava, the lesser rock grayling, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.
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