The large chequered skipper (''Heteropterus morpheus'') 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 the single member of the
monotypic genus ''Heteropterus''. The species can be found in isolated populations in Europe and east across the
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...
to
Central Asia and
Korea. It is endangered in the
Netherlands.
The length of the forewings is 15–18 mm. The butterfly is on the wing from June to August, depending on the location.
The larvae feed on ''
Eriophorum
''Eriophorum'' (cottongrass, cotton-grass or cottonsedge) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cyperaceae, the sedge family. They are found throughout the arctic, subarctic, and temperate portions of the Northern Hemisphere in acid bo ...
'', ''
Poa annua'', ''
Calamagrostis canescens'', ''
Brachypodium
''Brachypodium'' is a genus of plants in the grass family, widespread across much of Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America. The genus is classified in its own tribe Brachypodieae.
Flimsy upright stems form tussocks. Flowers appear in compact spi ...
'' and ''
Molinia'' species (including ''
Molinia coerulea'').
As can be seen, the butterfly has a very distinctive and attractive underside but a drab upperside (which is rarely seen, as it usually settles with wings closed). This butterfly is very similar to the
Chequered skipper, but they have their own attributes that allow them to be distinguished.
The flight is just as distinctive and indeed provides immediate identification of the species: it appears to bounce through the air with little sense of direction, almost as if drunk.
In France, it has been seen in the south west including, in 2011, the
Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...
department.
References
External links
Images representing ''Heteropterus ''at
Consortium for the Barcode of Life
Butterflies described in 1771
Heteropterinae
Butterflies of Europe
Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas
{{Hesperiidae-stub