Oriental Marbled Skipper

Muschampia orientalis Reverdin, 1913

Status

Description

A small brown or grey, with white marks on its wings. Key diagnostic features are on the upperside of the forewing. There are three postdiscal white spots (S6-S8, near the wing tip), and a pale bar at the end of the wing cell. There are no submarginal markings on the forewing. Male and female are very similar. Can be confused with other similar marked skippers in the genera Carcharodus, Muschampia and Pyrgus.

Dan Danahar has noted that the ends of this species' antennae have only a marginal sickle shape, if at all.

Habitat Requirements

Found in in flowery meadows and hot dry rocky slopes, often with light woodland and scrub.

Larval Foodplants

Horehound Ballota nigra subsp. meridionalis, Black Horehound Ballota nigra subsp. ruderalis, Black Horehound Ballota nigra subsp. sericea
White Horehound Marrubium vulgare, Field Woundwort Stachys arvensis, Stachys cretica, Downy Woundwort Stachys germanica, Stachys graeca, Stachys ionica, Stachys mollissima, Stachys ocymastrum, Stachys palustris Marsh Woundwort Stachys parolinii, Stachys spinulosa.

Observations

This is not a common species in Corfu, usually found as singletons. Where it is located it usually favours good quality habitat, perhaps being limited by host plant distribution. Like so many Mediterranean skippers it can be fast flying butterfly.

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

First and Last Sightings

Year First Last/latest # Days
2023 30/03/2023 17/09/2023 171 days
2022 26/04/2022 06/10/2022 163 days
2021 10/04/2021 09/10/2021 182 days

Number of Observations

Year Number of observations
2023 46
2022 19
2021 31
Grand Total 96

Distribution Map

Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.

Flight Times for the Oriental Marbled Skipper (2023)

The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023 submitted online since 1st January 2023 to 22nd September 2023.

Flight Times for the Oriental Marbled Skipper (All Data)

The chart below shows flight data by month based on all data submitted online since 1st January 2019 to 22nd September 2023.

Taxonomy

  • Vernacular/Common Name: Oriental Marbled Skipper
  • Family: Hesperiidae (Latreille, 1809)
  • Sub-family: Pyrginae (Burmeister, 1878)
  • Tribe: Carcharodini (Verity, 1940)
  • Genus: Muschampia (Tutt, 1906)
  • Sub-genus: Reverdinus (Ragusa, 1919)
  • Species: orientalis Reverdin, 1913

References

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