Gegenes pumilio

English name:
Pygmy Skipper
Full scientific name:
Gegenes pumilio (Hoffmannsegg, 1804)
Croatian name:
Patuljasti debeloglavac

Red Book Category in EU: LC

Red Book Category in Croatia: NE

Wings span: 25-31mm

Gegenes pumilio, male, Brač, 1022H2971
Gegenes pumilio, male, Brač, 1022H2971
Gegenes pumilio, male, Brač, 1022H2971
Gegenes pumilio, male, Brač, 1022H2971
Gegenes pumilio, male, Brač, 1022H2971
Gegenes pumilio, male, Brač, 1022H2971
Gegenes pumilio, male, Brač, 1022H2971
Gegenes pumilio, male, genitalia, Brač, 1022H2971

Flight Period and Life Cycle

Flight period of Gegenes pumilio in Croatia
Flight period of Gegenes pumilio in Croatia

Up to 3 broods per year. Overwinters as caterpillar.

Distribution in Croatia

Distribution of Gegenes pumilio in Croatia
Distribution of Gegenes pumilio 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

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