English name:
Mediterranean Skipper
Full scientific name:
Gegenes nostrodamus (Fabricius, 1793)
Croatian name:
Mediteranski debeloglavac
Flight Period and Life Cycle
Few broods per year. Overwinters as caterpillar.
Distribution in Croatia
The coast along Southern Croatia. Check the included map.
External Morphology Characteristics
The butterly is similar to Gegenes pumilio. Gegenes nostrodamus is a bit larger and has a bit brighter upper side of the wings. On the costa, in the basal zone of the hindwing, there is a longer and denser hairs area than in Gegenes pumilio. Unfortunately, the determination is not easy because these longer hairs are visible at a certain angle and on young individuals only. The male of Gegenes nostrodamus has no bright spots on the underside of the hindwing.
Behavior
Fly low and fast. Imago feeds with the nectar of various flowers.
Caterpillar Host Plants
Family Poaceae.
Habitat
Rocky and hot grasslands with flowers along the coast. Elevations: 0-500m.
Literature
Zdravko Kolev and Nikolay Shtinkov: The Pygmy Skipper Gegenes pumilio: a new species to Bulgaria, and a confirmation of its occurrence in the eastern Balkan Peninsula, Phegea 44, 2016.
Verovnik, R., Koren, T. & Glavan, G.: Contribution to the knowledge of the butterfly and skipper fauna of northern Dalmatia mainland. Nat. Croat., Vol. 24, No. 2., 265–280, Zagreb, 2015