Aegean_skipper

<i>Pyrgus melotis</i>

Pyrgus melotis

Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

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.[1] It is a member of the Pyrgus malvae (grizzled skipper) species complex but separated by significant reproductive isolation mechanisms.[2] The habitat consists of grasslands and slopes.

Quick Facts Pyrgus melotis, Scientific classification ...

The length of the forewings is 11–15 mm. It is characterized by the underside of the hindwings, which is cream-coloured, thus obscuring the markings; the spots on the upperside, especially those of the forewings, are generally large and square.[2] Adults are on wing from April to June and again from July to September in two or sometimes three generations per year.

Larvae have been recorded feeding on Rubus species.[3]

Subspecies

  • Pyrgus melotis melotis
  • Pyrgus melotis ponticus Reverdin, 1914 (Caucasus, Transcaucasia)

References

  1. [1]
    Pyrgus at funet
  2. [2]
    Jong, Rienk (1987). "Superspecies Pyrgus malvae (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in the East Mediterranean, with notes on phylogenetic and biological relationships". Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie – Via Naturalis Repository.
  3. [3]
    Russian Insects
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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Aegean_skipper, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.