English name:
Essex Skipper
Full scientific name:
Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer, 1808)
Croatian name:
Smeđi debeloglavac
Flight Period and Life Cycle
1 brood per year. Overwinters as caterpillar.
Distribution in Croatia
The entire territory excluding the islands. Check the included map.
External Morphology Characteristics
Looking from the front (anterior view), the underside of antenna tip is dark brown or black. On the undersides of the forewing a dark area is visible from basal to the postdiscal zone. On the upper side of the forewing there is a dark edge, blurred towards the submarginal zone. The darkening gradually extends along the veins. It is thicker in the beginning and disappears towards the discal zone. Males have an andocronia line beginning from S1, with a break at V2 and then extends further but not reaching V3 on the upper side of the forewing. In the lateral view, the tip of abdomen in both sexes is equal or shorter than the edge of the wing in S2 zone.
Behavior
Often rests on the blades of grass. Imago feeds with the nectar of various flowers.
Caterpillar Host Plants
Grasses family (Poaceae).
Habitat
Warm meadows with grass, flowers and bushes. Elevations: 0-1500m.
Gallery
