Rosy grizzled skipper

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Pyrgus onopordi
Hesperiidae - Pyrgus onopordi.JPG
Pyrgus onopordi. Side view
Hesperiidae - Pyrgus onopordi-001.JPG
Dorsal view
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Pyrgus
Species:
P. onopordi
Binomial name
Pyrgus onopordi
(Rambur, 1839)

The rosy grizzled skipper (Pyrgus onopordi) is a species of skipper (family Hesperiidae).

Contents

Distribution and habitat

This species can be found in central and southern Europe (Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and Netherlands) and in North Africa (Algeria and Morocco). [1] [2]

These butterflies inhabit flowery meadows, hot dry grassy meadows and streams at an elevation of 0–2,000 metres (0–6,562 ft) above sea level. [3]

Description

The wingspan of Pyrgus onopordi can reach 22–28 mm. The upper side of the frontwings and hindwings is dark brown or khaki with a slight yellowish tinge, white markings, and a white fringe on the edge. The underside hindwings is light yellow-brown marbled with a few large white spots, including a characteristic anvil-shaped discal mark bordered with dark lines in the cells four and five. [3] [4] Females are darker and usually larger than males. [5] Unlike most European Pyrgus species this skipper can usually be readily identified in the field as it is noticeably paler than its congeners. This is due to a heavy dusting of yellowish scales which overlies the dark brown base colour.

The eggs are yellowish, roundish, and flattened at both ends, with up to twenty strong longitudinal ribs on the surface. The caterpillars range from light to dark brown with bright sideline lines. The head is black. The pupae are bluish-tinted with a very contrasting drawing.

This species is quite similar to Pyrgus carlinae , Pyrgus cirsii , Pyrgus cinarae , Pyrgus malvae , Pyrgus alveus , Pyrgus andromedae , Pyrgus cacaliae, and Spialia sertorius . [3]

Biology

Two or three generations are produced each year at any time between April and October. The larval food plants are Potentilla species ( Potentilla reptans , Potentilla pusilla , Potentilla hirta ), Malva neglecta , Malva parviflora , Malope malacoides, and Helianthemum species ( Helianthemum apenninum , Helianthemum hirtum ). [6]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<i>Pyrgus malvae</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<i>Pyrgus</i> Butterfly genus known as grizzled skippers

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberthür's grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Oberthür's grizzled skipper is a species of skipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foulquier's grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

The Olive Skipper is a species of skipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carline skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinquefoil skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly

The Cinquefoil Skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.

<i>Pyrgus sidae</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<i>Melitaea diamina</i> Species of butterfly

Melitaea diamina, the false heath fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

<i>Carcharodus alceae</i> Species of butterfly

Carcharodus alceae, commnly known as the mallow skipper, is a species of butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safflower skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly

The safflower skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

The Alpine Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

The Dusky Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.

<i>Favria cribrellum</i> Species of butterfly

Favria is a monotypic genus of spread-wing skippers in the butterfly family Hesperiidae. This genus was formerly a synonym of Muschampia, and its only species, Favria cribrellum, was formerly a member of Muschampia. The species is commonly known as the spinose skipper.

<i>Muschampia proto</i> Species of butterfly

Muschampia proto, the sage skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Morocco, Algeria, the Iberian Peninsula and southern France.

<i>Pyrgus malvoides</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Pyrgus malvoides, the Southern Grizzled Skipper, is a species of skipper.

References

  1. Fauna europaea
  2. Funet
  3. 1 2 3 Captain's European Butterfly Guide
  4. EuroButterflies by Matt Rowlings
  5. Butterflies of France
  6. Lepiforum.de