Status

Corfu Status: Present EU Red Data Status 2010: Least Concern

Description

A small chestnut coloured butterfly. The upperside is a plain chestnut colour, with a grey-brown marginal border. The forewing underside is chestnut, with a black spot, white-pupiled. The hindwing is greyish brown with a pale postdiscal streak. Males and females are similar. The markings are distinctive, so shouldn’t be confused with any other species in Corfu. 

Generalised wing venation diagram Nymphalidae wing venation diagram

Habitat Requirements

Found in dry grasslands, roadsides and cultivated areas.

Larval Foodplants

Anthoxanthum ovatum, Crested Dog's-tail Cynosurus cristatus, Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata subsp. Hispanica, Annual Meadow Grass Poa annua.

Observations

Shows some seasonal dimorphism in wing colour.

*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Small Heath submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.

First and Last Sightings

Year	First	Last/latest	# Days
2022	09/04/2022	17/05/2022	38 days
2021	12/04/2021	09/11/2021	211 days

Number of Observations

Year	Number of observations
2022	126
2021	147
Grand Total	273

Distribution Map

Flight Times for the Small Heath (2022)

The chart below shows Small Heath flight data by month for 2022 submitted online since 1st January 2022 to 17th May 2022.

View Data Table View Larger Chart

Flight Times for the Small Heath (All Data)

The chart below shows Small Heath flight data by month based on all data submitted online since 1st January 2019 to 17th May 2022.

View Data Table View Larger Chart

Taxonomy

• Vernacular/Common Name: Small Heath
• Family: Nymphalidae (Rafinesque, 1815)
• Sub-family: Satyrinae (Boisduval, 1833)
• Tribe: Satyrini (Boisduval, 1833)
• Sub-tribe: Coenonymphina (Tutt 1896)
• Genus: Coenonympha (Hübner, 1819)
• Species: pamphilus (Linnaeus, 1758)

References

For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.