Heteropterus morpheus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 610th most-seen of the 1277 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.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Chequered Skipper in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
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 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Large Chequered Skipper sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%).
Same family: Hesperiidae
The closest relatives of the Large Chequered Skipper that you can see in Pyrénées National Park (family Hesperiidae, Skippers) are Far Eastern Large Skipper (about 20%), Common Branded Skipper (about 20%) and Dingy 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 Pyrénées National Park (14 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.
