Pyrgus melotis
Pyrgus melotis, the Aegean skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It was described by Philogène Auguste Joseph Duponchel in 1832. It is found in the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Asia Minor, Greece and the Middle East.[1] It is a member of the Pyrgus malvae (grizzled skipper) species complex but separated by significant reproductive isolation mechanisms.[2] The habitat consists of grasslands and slopes.
| Pyrgus melotis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Hesperiidae |
| Genus: | Pyrgus |
| Species: | P. melotis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrgus melotis (Duponchel, [1834]) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Hesperia melotis Duponchel, [1834] | |
The length of the forewings is 11–15 mm. It is characterized by the underside of the hindwings, which is cream-coloured, thus obscuring the markings; the spots on the upperside, especially those of the forewings, are generally large and square.[2] Adults are on wing from April to June and again from July to September in two or sometimes three generations per year.
Subspecies
- Pyrgus melotis melotis
- Pyrgus melotis ponticus Reverdin, 1914 (Caucasus, Transcaucasia)
References
- Pyrgus at funet
- Jong, Rienk (1987). "Superspecies Pyrgus malvae (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) in the East Mediterranean, with notes on phylogenetic and biological relationships". Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie – via Naturalis Repository.
- Russian Insects
