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Carterocephalus palaemon / Chequered Skipper
Antenëgrepja katrore
Hesperiidae - Heteropterinae
Carterocephalus palaemon (Pallas, 1771). TL: Russia.
 
 
1a. Carterocephalus palaemon, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Carterocephalus palaemon ♂ upperside. Albania (© Eddy Oorthuysen)
1c. Habitat of Carterocephalus palaemon. Valbonë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Carterocephalus palaemon underside. Albania (© Eddy Oorthuysen)
Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14 mm.
Upf: dark brown gc, large basal and postdiscal angular yellow spots, series of small submarginal spots.
Uph: one yellow oval basal spot, two larger yellow oval discal spots, row of small yellow submarginal dots.
Unh: paler oval spots with black edges.
Antennal tip: yellow-orange beneath.
♀♀
Slightly larger butterfly.
Paler yellow markings.
Antennal tip: only the top is yellow-orange.
Similar species
None.
Life cycle
Adults: single generation from May to mid-July, in time spreaded hatching of the adults, short flight time of the adult (max. 2 weeks)
Egg: short stage (10 days)
Caterpillar: overwintering as full-grown larva in a tube of a withered leaf of the foodplant.
Pupa: 24-32 days.
Habitat
Carterocephalus palaemon inhabits damp grassy areas in light woodland from 1000 up to 1650 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement low, population density low.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Alopecurus pratensis, Brachypodium sp., Bromus ramosus, Calamagrostis sp., Cynosurus cristatus, Dactylis glomerata, Digitaria sanguinalis, Elymus repens, Holcus lanatus, Lolium sp., Milium effusum, Molinia caerulea, Phalaris arundinacea, Phleum pratense, Phragmites australis and Poa trivialis.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers.
Distribution
Albania: very local (probably insufficient research during the flight period) and at the southern 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
Caucasus, W. Transcaucasia and further east.
Conservation status
Carterocephalus palaemon is at the southern limit of its European range in Albania.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: NA.
Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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