Spialia sertorius

Spialia sertorius
in Portugal
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hesperiidae
Genus:	Spialia
Species:	S. sertorius
Binomial name
Spialia sertorius (Hoffmannsegg, 1804)
Synonyms
Hesperia sertorius Hoffmannsegg, 1804 Papilio sao Hübner Spialia hibiscae Hemming, 1936 Powellia sertorius parvula Verity, 1921 Hesperia hibiscae minor Rebel, 1910 Powellia gracilis Verity, 1921 Powellia subgracilis Verity, 1912 Powellia guadarramensis Warren, 1925 Powellia gavarniensis Warren, 1926 Powellia alioides Verity, 1926 Syrichtus ali Oberthür, 1881 Syrichtus sao therapnoides Oberthür, 1910 Spialia sertorius ali f. rungsi Picard, 1950

Spialia sertorius, the red-underwing skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in southern and central Europe and North Africa. This is a species of mountainous regions, being found in Europe at altitudes of up to 1400 m.

Egg

The wingspan is 22–26 mm. The butterfly flies from April to August depending on the location. There are usually two generations per year, adults of the second generation being smaller than those of the first.

This is a variable species but can usually be distinguished from similar species such as Spialia orbifer by the dark reddish-brown colour of the underside of the hindwing. The upper side of the wings are dark brown with small white spots.

The larvae feed on Sanguisorba (including Sanguisorba minor), Rubus (including Rubus idaeus) and Potentilla (including Potentilla verna).

Subspecies

• Spialia sertorius sertorius (Europe)
• Spialia sertorius ali (Oberthür, 1881) (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia)

External links

• Lepiforum.de

References

• Whalley, Paul - Mitchell Beazley Guide to Butterflies (1981, reprinted 1992) ISBN 0-85533-348-0