Pyrgus malvoides
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Pyrgus malvoides, the southern grizzled skipper, is a species of skipper (family Hesperiidae). The wingspan of this butterfly is 24–26 mm. Pyrgus malvoides cannot be distinguished from Pyrgus malvae by external characteristics, but this is quite possible on the basis of the genital structures (H. malvoides Elw. Markings as in malvae; tergite of anal segment (male) with a tooth on each side).
From the other species of the genus Pyrgus, both species can be clearly differentiated by the presence of the mostly clear submarginal points on the upper side of the wing. Pyrgus malvoides is distributed from Portugal and Spain via southern and central France, southern Switzerland (south of the main Alpine ridge) and Austria (Vorarlberg, Tyrol) to Italy and Istria.
According to previous knowledge, Pyrgus malvoides colonizes various fresh and above all moist habitats in the Alps if these have structures that are favorable to the microclimate, such as open ground on gravel, rocks, obstructions from cattle kicking or erosion, etc. A syntopic occurrence with Pyrgus malvae could not be determined so far. Because of the identification problems in the field... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Grizzled Skipper sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 165th most-seen of the 996 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Grizzled Skipper in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Grizzled Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Southern Grizzled Skipper sightings, Cévennes National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Mercantour National Park (France, about 20%) and Vanoise National Park (France, about 10%).
Same genus: Pyrgus
The closest relatives of the Southern Grizzled Skipper that you can see in Cévennes National Park (genus Pyrgus, Grizzled Skippers) are Oberthür's Grizzled Skipper (about 10%), Carline Skipper (about 10%) and Safflower Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Grizzled Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (43 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
