Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Coenonympha pamphilus / Small Heath
Pamfilia
Nymphalidae - Satyrinae

Coenonympha pamphilus (Linnaeus, 1758). TL: Sweden.

1a. Coenonympha pamphilus, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Coenonympha pamphilus ♀ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Coenonympha pamphilus ♀ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Coenonympha pamphilus ♀ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Coenonympha pamphilus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-16 mm.
Ups: bright yellow-orange gc, small marginal borders.
Upf: small grey apical ocellus.
Unf: white pupiled and yellow-ringed, black apical ocellus.
Unh: grey-brown uniform gc, often paler postdiscal band, rarely other faint markings.
♀♀
Slightly larger.

Similar species

Coenonympha rhodopensis Size:slightly larger. Upf: diffuse pale grey border. Upf: small apical ocellus. Uph: variable ocelli. Unh: greyish basal suffusion, monochrome gc. Unh: variable ocelli. Unh: no metallic antemarginal line. Coenonympha leander Upf: diffuse darker border. Uph: conspicuous orange area. Uph: black ocelli, sometimes inconspicuous. Unh: ocelli touching the large orange marginal band. Unh: metallic antemarginal line. Unh: prominent orange band. Coenonympha glycerion P (never recorded from Albania) Upf: large dark brown suffusion. Uph: small orange marginal band. Uph: ♂♂ no ocelli. Uph: ♀♀ vague ocelli. Unh: yellow ringed, white-pupiled ocelli. Unh: orange antemarginal line.

Life cycle
Adults: up to three generations (depending on altitude) from April to October.
Egg: 5-16 days.
Caterpillar: overwintering in various stages.
Pupa: 8-26 days.

Habitat
Coenonympha pamphilus inhabits a large variety of flowery grasslands from sea level up to 2000 m a.s.l., rarely higher.
Spatial requirement very modest, population density often high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Corynephorus canescens, Cynosurus cristatus, Danthonia decumbens, Festuca ovina, F. rubra, Lolium perenne, Koeleria pyramidata and Molinia caerulea. Also mentioned are Agrostis sp., Anthoxanthum odoratum, Brachypodium sp., Carex ovalis, Digitaria sanguinalis and Poa sp.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers in the herb vegetation.

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
Coenonympha pamphilus is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

Contact