Dingy Skipper

Erynnis tages is different from other skippers because of the predominantly monochrome, gray-brown wing coloration and the marbling, which is only present on the upper side of the forewings, as well as a series of small white dots on the wing edge. It is probably the most moth-like British butterfly and normally rests with its wings in a moth-like fashion. This well-camouflaged, brown and grey butterfly can be confused with the grizzled skipper, the Mother Shipton moth or the burnet companion moth. Faded specimens of Carcharodus alceae are distinguished by glass spots in the forewing and by a jagged rear wing edge. A special feature is the restraint of the imagos, which is reminiscent of a deltoid moth with its roof-shaped wings placed one on top of the other.

The dingy skipper is widespread from the Iberian Peninsula and Ireland in the west to the Pacific in East Asia. In the north, the area boundary follows roughly the 62°N. In Asia, the species penetrates south across the Caucasus to Pakistan, and in China the area boundary is far to the south. In Bavaria, the distribution shows a noticeable change from more or less densely populated areas to regions in which the species is absent over long stretches. In southern Bavaria, the species is concentrated in the Alpine region, the valleys of the Alpine rivers, in particular the Lech and Isar, as well as the areas near the river in the Donaumoos. In Northern Bavaria, the focus is on the Franconian Alb, in parts of the Franconian Keuper-Lias-Land and the Mainfränkische Platten. A secondary focus in the Upper Main hill country leads to scattered evidence along the northeastern border. Here the species occurs from the Vogtland over the Fichtelgebirge to the Upper Palatinate and Bavarian Forest. With the exception of the East Bavarian low mountain range, the occurrence of the dingy skipper coincides with the distribution of limestone areas (Jura and Muschelkalk) or geological features (basalt, gypsum, basic sandstones such as dolomitic arkose). It is widely but patchily distributed across Britain. …

The imagos fly in two generations from May-June and July-August but in northern regions and at the high altitudes, there is only a single generation. The flight period in Bavaria extends from the middle of April to the beginning of September with a focus from the beginning of May to the end of June and a maximum in the last May decade. First and second generation overlap. The second generation, which occurs only irregularly or regionally, is always significantly weaker. The imagos prefer low-growing or very patchy vegetation and often stay on bare ground to sunbathe or to absorb moisture and minerals. On the ground or on low plants, the males also move from perch in order to track down the females by approaching insects of suitable size. The flight is usually very fast and low, whereby the locally loyal imagos usually only cover short distances of a few meters and soon settle again. There is very little information on flower visits. In Bavaria out of a total of 14 listed plant species, only three are mentioned several times, in addition to the most important egg-laying plants Hippocrepis comosa and Lotus corniculatus, Ajuga reptans also is visited. Other suction plants are yellow-flowered Fabaceae such as Anthyllis vulneraria, Chamaecytisus ratisbonensis and Medicago falcata as well as blue- and violet-flowered mint flowers such as Salvia pratensis and Thymus spp. …