Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)
Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)

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Pygmy Skipper (Gegenes pumilio)


Photo © Albert Vliegenthart
FamilyHesperiidae
SubfamilyHesperiinae
GenusGegenes
Speciespumilio
Authority(Hoffmansegg, 1804)
English NamePygmy Skipper
European Red List 2010Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2010Least Concern (LC)
European Red List 2025Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2025Least Concern (LC)
Habitats Directive
Bern Convention
CITES

Description

The Pigmy Skipper occurs in the same types of habitat as the Mediterranean Skipper (Gegenes nostrodamus). Dry gullies, rocky slopes, sandy or stony riverbanks with sparse vegetation, dry grassland and low scrub near the coast are all places where these butterflies can be seen, often basking in the sun on stones and bare soil. In spring, there are fewer butterflies than in the summer and autumn. The larvae feed on the grasses Hyparrhenia hirta and Sorghum halepensis. The Pigmy Skipper has two to three generations a year.

Distribution

Albania / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Cyprus / France (Regionally Extinct) / France: Mainland (Regionally Extinct) / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Greece: Kirti (Crete) / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sardinia / Italy: Sicily / Malta / Montenegro / Spain / Spain: Balearic Islands /

Larval Foodplants

#OrderFamilyGenusSpeciesVernacular NameLink
1PoalesPoaceaeHyparrheniahirta
2PoalesPoaceaeImperatacylindrica
3PoalesPoaceaePhragmitesaustralisCommon Reed
4PoalesPoaceaeSetariaverticillataRough Bristle-grass
5PoalesPoaceaeSorghumhalepenseJohnson-grass