Heteropterus morpheus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The large chequered skipper (Heteropterus morpheus) is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. 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 to Central Asia and Korea. It is endangered in the Netherlands.
The length of the forewings is 15–18 mm. The butterfly has a very distinctive and attractive underside but a drab upperside (which is rarely seen, as it usually settles with wings closed). The upper side is quite dark brown and it is the reverse which is characteristic with brown fore wings in part covered by the hind wing and in the visible part the same ornamentation as the hind wings, on an ochre ground three lines of spots white ovals surrounded by black and a white border cut with black.
H. morpheus Pall. (= steropes Schiff.) (87 b). Forewing above black with 3 apical... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 3 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Large Chequered Skipper sighting in Vienna on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 955th most-seen of the 1406 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Chequered Skipper in Vienna on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Vienna's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 40 mm in February.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Chequered Skipper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Large Chequered Skipper sightings, Vienna ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Large Chequered Skipper that you can see in Vienna (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Far Eastern Large Skipper (about 10%), Dingy Skipper (about 10%) and Mallow Skipper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Chequered Skipper is recorded against all the insects logged in Vienna (10 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.
