| Southern grizzled skipper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Pyrgus |
| Species: | P. malvoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrgus malvoides (Elwes & Edwards, 1897) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pyrgus malvoides, the Southern Grizzled Skipper, is a species of skipper (family Hesperiidae).
The wingspan of this butterfly is 24–26 mm. Pyrgus malvoides cannot be distinguished from Pyrgus malvae by external characteristics, but this is quite possible on the basis of the genital structures (H. malvoides Elw. Markings as in malvae; tergite of anal segment (male) with a tooth on each side).
From the other species of the genus Pyrgus , both species can be clearly differentiated by the presence of the mostly clear submarginal points on the upper side of the wing. [1]
Pyrgus malvoides is distributed from Portugal and Spain via southern and central France, southern Switzerland (south of the main Alpine ridge) and Austria (Vorarlberg, Tyrol) to Italy and Istria. [1]
According to previous knowledge, Pyrgus malvoides colonizes various fresh and above all moist habitats in the Alps if these have structures that are favorable to the microclimate, such as open ground on gravel, rocks, obstructions from cattle kicking or erosion, etc. A syntopic occurrence with Pyrgus malvae could not be determined so far. Because of the identification problems in the field, no sucking plants were noted. It is assumed that there are no essential differences to Pyrgus malvae here. [1]
The known altitudinal distribution extends from 800 m to about 2000 m in Bavaria. [1] It is found up to heights of 2500 m in the central Alps.
Adults are on wing from April to September. In Bavaria Pyrgus malvoides flies in one generation from around mid-May to mid-July. A second or even third generation per year, as described e.g. in Italy, was not observed in Bavaria. [1]
The larvae feed on Potentilla , Agrimonia and Fragaria species, but primarily Potentilla erecta . It is reported from Switzerland that the caterpillars have been found on various cinquefoil species ( Potentilla neumanniana [= tabernaemontani], Potentilla pusilla , Potentilla erecta ) and have eaten Fragaria vesca during breeding. [1]
Proven forage plants of the caterpillars are: [2]
Potentilla tabernaemontani (= Potentilla neumanniana, Potentilla verna) [Switzerland, France], Potentilla pusilla [Switzerland, France, Italy], Potentilla erecta [Switzerland, Spain], Potentilla aurea [Austria], Potentilla reptans [France, Italy, Spain], Potentilla rupestris [Switzerland], Potentilla argentea [France], Potentilla grandiflora [Switzerland], Potentilla hirta [France], Potentilla pensylvanica [Spain], Potentilla recta [Spain], Fragaria vesca [Spain, Switzerland], Alchemilla hybrida [Switzerland], Agrimonia eupatoria [France, Spain], Filipendula vulgaris [Spain], Geum montanum [Spain], Rubus caesius [Spain], Rubus idaeus [Switzerland, France, Italy], Rubus ulmifolius [Spain], Sanguisorba minor [Switzerland, Spain]. The information in the above list comes mainly from the combination of Hernández-Roldán et al. (2012). [3] The range of food plants is very similar to that of the sister species Pyrgus malvae . Only Rosaceae and, above all, various Potentilla species are used. [2]
The caterpillars develop quite slowly and can therefore still be found on their food plants in midsummer, often several on one plant. [2]
In Switzerland, Pyrgus malvoides is called a typical representative of the rough meadows and pastures. In Bavaria, too, the species was found in wet meadows, extensive pastures and wet grasslands. A threat can only be assumed if traditional extensive cultivation gives way to intensive use or if the meadows are left without use. [1]
The southern grizzled skipper is also very closely related to the grizzled skipper and has not been separated by significant isolation reproductive barriers. [4] These two species cannot be differentiated according to external characteristics. Regarding their genitalia, however, they differ significantly. And while P. malvoides usually develops two generations per year, the second generation of P. malvae is a very rare exception. The two species can be crossed with each other, but in nature there is only a very narrow band with hybrid finds - otherwise the taxa are spatially clearly separated. P. malvoides is therefore often listed as a (southwestern) subspecies of P. malvae - but mostly as an independent species because of the narrow and constant band of hybrids. Imagos of the species pair from Portugal, Spain, southern France and Italy, but also southern Switzerland and the parts of Austria mentioned, always belong to P. malvoides, those from Germany (with very few exceptions in the border area), from Scandinavia or Poland and northern Switzerland, as well but from Greece to European Russia (and further through Asia) always to Pyrgus malvae. A genital examination is only necessary in the narrow contact belt of the two species.
Potentilla is a genus containing over 300 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae.
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.
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 Cinquefoil Skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.
The rosy grizzled skipper is a species of skipper.
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.
Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort.
The safflower skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.
The Alpine Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper.
The Dusky Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.
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.
Stigmella thuringiaca is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found from Germany, Poland and central Russia to the Iberian Peninsula and Italy. It is not found on the Balkan Peninsula.
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.
Tinagma perdicella is a moth in the family Douglasiidae. It is found in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Poland, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Romania, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Baltic region, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
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