Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Pyrgus armoricanus / Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper
Pirgusi i Oberturit
Hesperiidae - Pyrginae

Pyrgus armoricanus (Oberthür, 1910). TL: Rennes, France.

1a. Pyrgus armoricanus, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Pyrgus armoricanus ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Habitat of Pyrgus armoricanus. Greece (© Tom Kristensen)
1d. Pyrgus armoricanus copula. Denmark (© Tom Kristensen)
1e. Pyrgus armoricanus copula. Denmark (© Tom Kristensen)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly, slightly smaller-sized Pyrgus. Fw: 12-14 mm.
Upf: complete white markings.
Uph: strong pale white discal mark, prominent submarginal marks, often arrow-shaped.
Unh: veins are distinctly prominent, s7 basal dot straight edges, s1/2 arrow-shaped marks, usually not solid.
♀♀
Similar size.
Uph: ♀♀ weaker marked.
Otherwise 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 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 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: two generations, May to September. Short life span (2 weeks)
Egg: 18-22 days.
Caterpillar: depending on generation feeding, about 6 weeks after spring generation, 2 weeks for the second generation before overwintering as L2 larva in a shelter of leaflets spun together in the litter layer, again in the following spring.
Pupa: 13-18 days.

Habitat
Pyrgus armoricanus inhabits dry, warm grassy and flowery banks from lowland up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density low.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Potentilla sp. but also mentioned are Helianthemum nummularium, Filipendula vulgaris and Fragaria vesca.
Butterflies feed on lower flowers.

Distribution
Albania: widespread.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA* - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Pyrgus armoricanus is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: LC.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
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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