Safflower Skipper
Encyclopedia
The Safflower Skipper butterfly is a species of skipper
(family Hesperiidae). It is a widespread species of continental Europe
but is absent from northern France
, Holland, the British Isles
and Scandinavia
. It frequents meadow
s and other grassy places and in some parts of its range is fairly common.
The wingspan
is 30–34 mm, the female being on average slightly larger than the male. This species is typical of the genus, with dark brown wings marked with paler spots, and can be difficult to separate from its congeners. It is most often confused with the Large Grizzled Skipper
(P. alveus) as the two species are often found in similar habitats. P. carthami can usually be separated from this species by the more closely grouped white spots on the forewing and a band of evenly sized pale spots in the postdiscal area of the hindwing. The underside of the hindwing is usually strongly marked with large pale spots with characteristic dark edges. The adult
is on the wing from June until September.
A single generation is produced each year, the larva
feeding on Alcea and Malva
species.
Skipper (butterfly)
A skipper or skipper butterfly is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. They are named after their quick, darting flight habits. There are more than 3500 recognized species of skippers and they occur worldwide, but with the greatest diversity in the Neotropical regions of Central and South...
(family Hesperiidae). It is a widespread species of continental Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
but is absent from northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Holland, the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. It frequents meadow
Meadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s and other grassy places and in some parts of its range is fairly common.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 30–34 mm, the female being on average slightly larger than the male. This species is typical of the genus, with dark brown wings marked with paler spots, and can be difficult to separate from its congeners. It is most often confused with the Large Grizzled Skipper
Large Grizzled Skipper
The Large Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper . It is distributed throughout most of continental Europe but is absent from Denmark and practically all European islands including Great Britain, Ireland, Azores, Balearic Islands, Channel Islands, Canary Islands, Crete, Cyprus, Iceland, etc.This...
(P. alveus) as the two species are often found in similar habitats. P. carthami can usually be separated from this species by the more closely grouped white spots on the forewing and a band of evenly sized pale spots in the postdiscal area of the hindwing. The underside of the hindwing is usually strongly marked with large pale spots with characteristic dark edges. The adult
Imago
In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete...
is on the wing from June until September.
A single generation is produced each year, the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
feeding on Alcea and Malva
Malva
Malva is a genus of about 25–30 species of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae , one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of...
species.
Subspecies
- Pyrgus carhami carthami (central and northern Germany)
- Pyrgus carthami nevadensis (western Germany, France, the Iberian Peninsula)
- Pyrgus carthami moeschleri (southern and eastern Europe)