Lulworth Skipper

Thymelicus acteon (Rottemburg, 1775)

Status

Description

A small yellowish-brown, butterfly, with a short antenna. It can easily be confused with T. sylvestris. The males have a black androconial streak on the upperside forewing, which is long and slender, but long and curved in T. sylvestris. The females have yellow spots on the underside of the forewing, which aren’t present in other species, and the upperside with browner margins.

Habitat Requirements

Typically encountered in dry grasslands, on the boarders of paths and roads.

Larval Foodplants

Heath False-brome Brachypodium pinnatum, False Brome Brachypodium syvaticum, Wood Small-reed Calamagrostis epigejos, Common Couch Elytrigia repens, Annual Meadow grass Poa annua.

Observations

A fast flying butterfly, that often takes nectar from yellow Composite flowers and Scabious.

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

First and Last Sightings

Year First Last/latest # Days
2023 05/05/2023 29/05/2023 24 days
2022 07/05/2022 01/07/2022 55 days
2021 29/04/2021 26/06/2021 58 days

Number of Observations

Year Number of observations
2023 26
2022 177
2021 149
Grand Total 352

Distribution Map

Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.

Flight Times for the Lulworth Skipper (2023)

The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023 submitted online since 1st January 2023 to 8th June 2023.

Flight Times for the Lulworth Skipper (All Data)

The chart below shows flight data by month based on all data submitted online since 1st January 2019 to 8th June 2023.

Taxonomy

  • Vernacular/Common Name: Lulworth Skipper
  • Family: Hesperiidae (Latreille, 1809)
  • Sub-family: Hesperiinae (Latreille, 1809 )
  • Tribe: Thymelicini (Tutt 1905)
  • Genus: Thymelicus (Hübner, 1819)
  • Species: acteon (Rottemburg, 1775)

References

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