Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 20.ii.2024

Pyrgus andromedae / Alpine Grizzled Skipper
Thinjoshja alpine
Hesperiidae - Pyrginae

Pyrgus andromedae (Wallengren, 1853). TL: Dovre, Norway.

1a. Pyrgus andromedae, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b.Pyrgus andromedae ♀ upperside. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Pyrgus andromedae ♀ underside. Malet i Koritnikut, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Pyrgus andromedae ♀ upperside. Malet i Koritnikut, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Habitat of Pyrgus andromedae. Malet i Koritnikut, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Habitat of Pyrgus andromedae. Maja e Gjallicës, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1g. Habitat of Pyrgus andromedae. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1h. Dryas octopetala, foodplant of Pyrgus andromedae. Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly but one of the medium-sized Pyrgus in Balkan. Fw: 13-15 mm.
Upf: white spots well defined, three small white discal spots under the cell.
Uph: pale markings generally heavily obscured.
Unh: olive-brown gc.
Unh: exclamation mark (oval white point in s1c and line)
♀♀
Similar size, generally similar.

Similar species

1. Exclude: Spialia orbifer and Spialia phlomidis Upf: White postdiscal spots in a regular row. 2. Exclude: P. carthami Size: Unf + Unh: full white marginal band. P. 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 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 cinarae .....> Upf: ♂♂ large white spots. Upf: dump-bell shaped spot at cell-end. Upf: ♀♀ weaker spots. Uph: marked discal markings, small basal spots. Unh: olive-brown gc. 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 from June to July, rather early summer, soon after snow has melted.
Egg: probably short stage.
Caterpillar: developing in two years, first hibernation as young larva, second hibernation as pupa.
Pupa: long pupal stage from hibernation to early summer.

Habitat
Pyrgus andromedae inhabits alpine rocky slopes, nearby patches with the foodplant, Dryas octopetala above 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high, linked to patches of D. octopetala.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed exclusively on Dryas octopetala.
Butterflies feed on lower flowers, often on the foodplant.

Distribution
Albania: very local in northern Albania (more research needed)
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO* - SLO* - SRB
Europe: IB* - IT* - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU*
Not present in adjacent parts of Asia.

Conservation status
Pyrgus andromedae is is at the southern limit of its European range in the Balkan peninsula.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: not included.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
(url) Cuvelier S., Parmentier L., Paparisto A. & Couckuyt J. 2018. Butterflies of Albania – Fluturat e Shqipërisë. New surveys, new species and a new checklist (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) — Phegea 46(2): 48-69.
(url) Raymond B. & Gibbons R. Identification Guide to the Pyrgus Group of Grizzled Skippers in Europe (© Copyright Butterfly Conservation)

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