English name:
Pygmy Skipper
Full scientific name:
Gegenes pumilio (Hoffmannsegg, 1804)
Croatian name:
Patuljasti debeloglavac
Flight Period and Life Cycle
Up to 3 broods per year. Overwinters as caterpillar.
Distribution in Croatia
The coast along Southern Croatia. Check the included map.
External Morphology Characteristics
The butterfly is similar to Gegenes nostrodamus. Gegenes pumilo is a bit smaller and has a bit darker upper side of the wings. The upper side of the wings is dark brown in color. Both sexes have bright spots on the underside of the hindwing. On the costa, in the basal zone of the hindwing, there is a small area with short hairs. In Gegenes nostrodamus, the hairs are longer, denser and cover a larger area.
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. Elevations: 0-1000m.
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