English name:
Sage Skipper
Full scientific name:
Muschampia alta (Schwingenschuss, 1942)
Croatian name:
Pelinov debeloglavac
In research study, Hinojosa et al., 2020 concluded that species Muschampia proto comprises 2 more species: M. alta and M. proteides. Before the study, on Croatian check list was M. proto only. M. alta locality is Balkan peninsula and southern Italian Peninsula. M. proto locality is Iberian Peninsula so it is no longer on Croatian species list. M. proteides locality is Turkey and the islands of Eastern Greece. I left English name ‘Sage Skipper’ from M. proto because I did not find a new name for M. alta in the literature.
Flight Period
External Morphology Characteristics
The upper side of wings is dark olive in color. In S1 zone of the forewing there are two short white markings. The underside of wings is light brown. On the underside of hindwings, in S1 & S2 zones, white markings are almost invisible.
Distribution in Croatia
The far south. Check above map.
Behavior
Imago feeds with the nectar of various flowers. Males are territorial.
Caterpillar Host Plants
Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis fruticosa).
Habitat
It prefers dry grasslands with Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa). Elevations: 0-500m.
Literature
Hinojosa et al., 2020: Overlooked cryptic diversity in Muschampia
(Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) adds two species to the European butterfly fauna
Koren et al., 2020: The distribution and status of Sage Skipper Muschampia proto (Ochsenheimer, 1808) (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae) at the limit of its range in the north-western Balkans
Pamperis, 9-Dec-2022, web: Χαρακτηριστικές λεπτομέρειες των ειδών Muschampia tessellum, Favria cribrellum, Muschampia alta and Muschampia proteides