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Hesperia comma / Silver-spotted Skipper
Komma
Hesperiidae - Hesperiinae
Hesperia comma (Linnaeus, 1758). TL: Sweden.
 
 
1a. Hesperia comma, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Hesperia comma ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Hesperia comma ♂ upperside. Switzerland (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Hesperia comma ♀ upperside. Netherlands (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-15 mm.
Ups: fulvous gc, wide dark brown borders.
Upf:
conspicuous black sex-brand and small yellow apical spots.
Uns: olive green.
Unh: silvery discal spots.
♀♀
Sligthly larger than ♂♂.
Ups: darker and more marked.
Uns: olive green, similar to ♂♂.
Similar species
Ochlodes sylvanus
Upf:
Orange-buff apical spots.
Uph:
Hooked antennal club.
Unf:
Unh:
Yellowish, pale (no silvery), indistinct markings.
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Life cycle
Adults: single summer generation from early July to early September, long life span.
Egg: 26-32 weeks, overwintering stage hidden in tussock of a fine grass.
Caterpillar: developing slowly from early spring (up to 110 days)
Pupa: 13-24 days.
Habitat
Hesperia comma inhabits open, low grass banks and meadows, often on calcareous soils from 500 up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest despite the fact that it is a an active butterfly that flies long distances, population density low to moderate.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Agrostis vinealis, Deschampsia cespitosa, D. flexuosa, Festuca sp., Elymus repens, Nardus stricta and Poa annua.
Butterflies feed on a variety of flowers.
Distribution
Albania: local.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK* - SCA - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.
Conservation status
Hesperia comma is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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