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Thymelicus acteon / Lulworth Skipper
Antenëgrepja acteon
Hesperiidae - Hesperiinae
Thymelicus acteon (Rottemburg, 1775). TL: Lansberg-an-der-Warthe, Germany
 
  
1a. Thymelicus acteon, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Thymelicus acteon ♀. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Thymelicus acteon ♀ underside. Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Thymelicus acteon ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Thymelicus acteon ♂ upperside. Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 11-13 mm.
Upf: clouded grey gc, faint yellow streak in cell and a series of small yellow posdiscal spots in s3-s9. Prominent sex-brand.
Uns: unfiform orange-yellow gc.
♀♀
Sligthly larger than ♂♂.
Upf: clouded grey gc (sometimes darker than ♂♂), conspicuouis yellow streak in cell and a series of more visible yellow posdiscal spots in s3-s9.
Similar species
Thymelicus lineola
Thymelicus sylvestris
Slightly larger Thymelicus.
Ups:
gc fulvous (not dusky)
Upf:
Absent yellow streak in cell.
No series of small yellow palid spots in s3-9.
Uns:
gc fulvous (not dusky)
Unf:
Absent yellow streak in cell.
No series of small yellow palid spots in s3-9.
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Life cycle
Adults: single generation from May to August.
Egg: 23 days.
Caterpillar: young larva overwinters in a tiny silken cocoon, in a folded and withered leave. Feeding in spring (11-12 weeks) till pupation.
Pupa: 15 days.
Habitat
Thymelicus acteon inhabits sunny grass banks and meadows, usually edges between short and tall grass vegetation in an open landscape up to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement very modest, population density often high.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Carex caryophyllea, Achnatherum calamagrostis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium sp., Bromus erectus, Calamagrostis sp., Elymus repens, Hyparrhenia hirta, Poa annua, Setaria verticillata and Stipa pennata.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers.
Distribution
Albania: quite widespread in southern Albania, more local in northern Albania.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK* - SCA - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East and further east.
Conservation status
Thymelicus acteon is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NT.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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