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.
Oberthür's grizzled skipper is a species of skipper.
The Olive Skipper is a species of skipper.
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 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.
Lichk is a village in the Meghri Municipality of the Syunik Province in Armenia.
The safflower skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.
Pyrgus malvoides, the Southern Grizzled Skipper, is a species of skipper.
Pyrgus alpinus is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from Ghissar to western China and northern India.
Pyrgus cashmirensis is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Tajikistan, north-eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and Kashmir.
Pyrgus darwazicus is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Ghissar, Alai, Darvaz and the western Pamirs.
Pyrgus melotis, the Aegean skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It was described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1832. It is found in the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Asia Minor, Greece and the Middle East. It is a member of the Pyrgus malvae species complex but separated by significant reproductive isolation mechanisms. The habitat consists of grasslands and slopes.
Pyrgus aladaghensis, also known as the Aladagh skipper or Aladag skipper, is a butterfly of the family of Hesperiidae that was first described by Willy De Prins and Dirk van der Poorten in 1995. It is found on the Aladaglar massive of the Taurus Mountains near Niğde, in southern Turkey.
