''Gegenes pumilio'', the pigmy skipper or dark Hottentot, is a
butterfly of 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 from the coasts of the
Mediterranean Sea through
Anatolia to the
Himalaya and south in the whole of
Africa.
The length of the forewings is about 14 mm. Adults are on wing from April to October in multiple generations.
The larvae feed on various grasses, including
Gramineae species as well as ''
Pennisetum clandestinum'', ''
Ehrharta'' (including ''
Ehrharta erecta
''Ehrharta erecta'' is a species of grass commonly known as panic veldtgrass. The species is native to Southern Africa and Yemen. It is a documented invasive species in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, southern Europe, and China.
The ...
'') and ''
Cynodon'' species.
[Afrotropical Butterflies: Hesperiidae - Subfamily Hesperiinae]
/ref>
Subspecies
*''Gegenes pumilio pumilio'' (southern Europe, Middle East, India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman)
*''Gegenes pumilio gambica'' (Mabille, 1878) (Africa, Arabia to Lebanon, Turkey to northern Pakistan, Kashmir)
*''Gegenes pumilio monochroa'' (Rebel, 1907) (Yemen: Socotra)
References
External links
All butterflies of EuropeLepiforum
Fauna of Pakistan
Butterflies described in 1804
Hesperiinae
Butterflies of Europe
Taxa named by Johann Centurius Hoffmannsegg
{{Hesperiinae-stub