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Muschampia floccifera / Tufted Marbled Skipper
Flociferja
Hesperiidae - Pyrginae
Muschampia floccifera (Zeller, 1847). TL: Sicily.
 
1a. Muschampia floccifera, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Muschampia floccifera ♂ upperside. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Habitat of Muschampia floccifera. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-16 mm.
Ups: dark grey-brown gc, marbled with darker stirae.
Upf: three whitish spots near apex and conspicuous tranparent discal spot.
Uph: pale basal and discal spots.
Unf: prominent hair-tuft.
Unh: dark brown gc, white markings well defined.
♀♀
Sligthly larger than ♂♂.
Otherwise similar.
Similar species
Muschampia lavatherae
Upf:
gc light olive-brown.
Uph:
Conspicuous white discal and pd spots.
Unh:
gc whitish with indistinct markings.
Carcharodus alceae
Uph:
Vague and less white discal and pd markings.
Muschampia orientalis
Not easily distinguished externally.
Unh:
gc grey with distinct regular markings.
Male genitalia bear clear differentiating character.
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Life cycle
Adults: one to two generations (depending on the altitude) from May to August.
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering as half-grown caterpillar.
Pupa: short stage.
Habitat
Muschampia floccifera inhabits flowery banks and rough ground from low levels (less common) to the alpine level in mountains, preferring cooler and moist places between 200 to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement considerable, population density low.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Stachys sp. and Marrubium sp, also mentioned are Ballota nigra, Betonica sp., Leonurus cardiaca and Malva neglecta.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers.
Distribution
Albania: quite widespread in the mountains.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Caucasus, Transcaucasia, E. Turkey and further east.
Conservation status
Muschampia floccifera is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: VU.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Prygus.de
Lepiforum
leps.it
Euroleps
(url) Dincă V., Cuvelier S., Székely L. & Vila R. 2009. New data on the Rhopalocera (Lepidoptera) of Dobrogea (south-eastern Romania). — Phegea 37(1): 1-21.
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