Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 09.i.2025

Pyrgus cinarae / Sandy Grizzled Skipper
Thinjoshja e rërët
Hesperiidae - Pyrginae

Pyrgus cinarae (Rambur, [1839]). TL: Sarepta.

1a. Pyrgus cinarae, distribution map (09.i.2025). Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Pyrgus cinarae ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Pyrgus cinarae ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Pyrgus cinarae ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Habitat of Pyrgus cinarae. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Pyrgus cinarae ♀ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly but one of the larger Pyrgus in Balkan. Fw: 15-16 mm.
Upf: ♂♂ large white spots. dump-bell shaped spot near cell-end.
Uph: small basal spots, marked discal markings and submarginal white spots.
♀♀
Similar size.
Ups: weaker and smaller spots.
Uph: small basal spots, marked discal markings and submarginal white spots.

Similar species

1. Exclude: Spialia orbifer and Spialia phlomidis Upf: White postdiscal spots in a regular row. 2. Exclude: Pyrgus carthami Size: Unf + Unh: full white marginal band. Pyrgus sidae Size: Unh: yellow discal and pd bands. Other Pyrgus: Well-marked specific characters are variable or lacking ! Considerable intraspecific variation. Making a confident specific identification by external features is often difficult. The better criteria are found on the unh. Species are best identified by the male genitalia. Male genitalia bear clear differentiating characters.

Pyrgus alveus .....<~ Upf: weak spot near cell-end. Uph: weak markings. Unh: rectangular, basal spot in s7. Unh: yellowish-olive gc. Pyrgus andromedae ....<~ Upf: 3 small white discal spots under the cell. Uph: faint markings. Unh: exclamation mark near inner margin. Unh: grey-yellowish olive gc. Pyrgus armoricanus .....< Uph: strong pale white discal marks. Unh: strong sm marks, s1/2 arrow-shaped marks. Unh: veins distinctly prominent. Unh: s7 basal dot, rectangular with straight edges. (♀♀ weaker marked) Pyrgus malvae .....<< Upf: strong white sm marks. Uph: strong discal mark (molar-shaped) Uph: strong white sm marks. Unh: brown gc, sometimes with green-yellowish tint. Pyrgus serratulae .....< Uph: faint markings. Unh: basal dot rounded or oval in s7. Unh: discal mark, straight on both sides at s4/5. Unh: olive-grey gc.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation, June to August.
Egg: long stage.
Caterpillar: hibernating in the egg.
Pupa: short stage.

Habitat
Pyrgus cinarae inhabits dry stony grasslands and flowery meadows on mountain slopes between 500 up to 1500 m a.s.l., rarely higher.
Spatial requirement moderate, population density can be high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Potentilla spec., mostly Potentilla recta, also mentioned is Filipendula vulgaris.
Butterflies feed on a diversity of flowers and often found mud-puddling.

Distribution
Albania: local in southeastern Albania at the northern limit of its distribution range in the Balkan peninsula.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB* - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Isolated populations in Asia Minor and Transcaucasia.

Conservation status
Pyrgus cinarae is not endangered, at the northern limit of its European range in the Balkan peninsula.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
(url) Raymond B. & Gibbons R. Identification Guide to the Pyrgus Group of Grizzled Skippers in Europe (© Copyright Butterfly Conservation)

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