| Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus (Oberthür, 1910)) |
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Scientific name: Pyrgus armoricanus (Oberthür, 1910) Common name: Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper French name: Hespérie des potentilles Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Rhopalocera Family: Hesperiidae Subfamily: Pyrginae Wingspan: 24-28 mm. Biotope: Open meadows with flowers up to an altitude of 1500 m. Geographic area: All Europe, missing in the British Isles and in northern Scandinavia. Flight time: May-June and August-September for the second brood. Number of generations : 1, 2 in the south. Caterpillar: Olive-green with a large brown head. Host plant: Potentilla and Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca). |
The Hesperiidae of the Pyrgus genus have grey or brown upper sides of the wings with white spots. The fore wings show some postdiscal spots closer to the margin. It is often difficult to tell species apart. The identification keys require a view of the under side of the hind wings. The upper side of the Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper's forewings is often darker and with clear white markings, compared to other Hesperiidae of the same sub-family. The underside of the hindwing is reddish brown with a large pale central patch. The Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper overwinters as a caterpillar. |
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I have first listed this specimen as Pyrgus armoricanus but there is still a remaining doubt because there are several similar species. The identification was based on the dark colour and on the layout and the sharpness of the marks. |
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The identification is based on the reddish-brown colour of the underside of the hindwing and on the size of the pale central patch. Next time I will try to take sharper pictures. There is some moving blur here. |
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I have not been able to see the under side of the hind wings, so there is a low chance of being able to tell the species apart … The shape of the abdomen, tapering at the tip, indicates a female. Here are the species of the Pyrgus genus which are listed as flying in the French department of Saône-et-Loire: The Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae), the Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus), the Large Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus alveus), the Olive Skipper (Pyrgus serratulae), the Cinquefoil Skipper (Pyrgus cirsii) and the Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami). We can discard the Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae) because this species shows white spots on the upper side of the hind wings and, furthermore, its flight periods ends at late June. We can also discard the Cinquefoil Skipper (Pyrgus cirsii) because it shows a large rectangular cell spot on the upper side of the fore wings. It is not seen on this specimen. The flight period of the Safflower Skipper (Pyrgus carthami) ends late July and the flight period of the Olive Skipper (Pyrgus serratulae) ends late August. This picture was shot in the second half of September. So the only remaining possible species are the Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus armoricanus) and the Large Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus alveus). |
André Bon July 2016