Southern Grizzled Skipper

Southern Grizzled Skipper

Pyrgus malvoides

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Milan

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

9 Verified sightings at Milan
152 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Southern Grizzled Skipper

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
2 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
4 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Southern Grizzled Skipper in Milan?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Grizzled Skipper sighting in Milan on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 221st most-seen of the 351 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Southern Grizzled Skipper in Milan?

May to August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Grizzled Skipper in Milan on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Southern Grizzled Skipper?

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.

Where else can you see a Southern Grizzled Skipper?

Only Milan, in our data

Milan is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Grizzled Skipper sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Southern Grizzled Skipper live in Milan?

Same family: Hesperiidae

The closest relatives of the Southern Grizzled Skipper that you can see in Milan (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Far Eastern Large Skipper (about 10%) and Mallow Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Southern Grizzled Skipper sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Southern Grizzled Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Milan (9 verified sightings), 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.

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