''Carcharodus tripolinus'', the false mallow skipper, is a species of
butterfly in the family
Hesperiidae
Skippers are a family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) named the Hesperiidae. Being diurnal, they are generally called butterflies. They were previously placed in a separate superfamily, Hesperioidea; however, the most recent taxonomy ...
. It is found along a narrow strip along the coast of southern Portugal and Spain and across North Africa.
It is externally indistinguishable from ''
Carcharodus alceae
''Carcharodus alceae'', commnly known as the mallow skipper, is a species of butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.
Taxonomy
The scientific Latin species name ''alceae'' refers to the host plants '' Althaea'', which, in turn, are named after th ...
'', but the male genitalia show significant differences which is why they are treated as different species.
The
wingspan is 26–34 mm. Adults are on wing from March to September.
The larvae feed on ''
Malva sylvestris''. They have also been recorded on ''
Althaea'' in Egypt.
External links
Butterfly GuideLepiforum.de
Carcharodus
Butterflies described in 1925
Taxa named by Ruggero Verity
{{Pyrginae-stub