Mallow Skipper

Mallow Skipper / Carcharodus alceae / خبازية متوجة الحركة

Picture Resource: By Eric SYLVESTRE - http://lespapillons99.ifrance.com/ (own work), CC BY-SA 3.0Link

Status: Very common

Also called Hollyhook Skipper, it is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae.

It is a small-sized species with dark brown coloured wings having mixed white and lighter brown patches on  the upper side of both fore- and hindwings. The white markings on the forewings are placed in a linear pattern. The body is also brown  in colour with similar colouring pattern like in the wings. This species closely rsembles the Marbled Skipper but is generally more darker brown in colour on the wings and the white markings on the forewings are also more patterned in straight lines or linear than the latter species. These narrow white markings on the forewings makes it very easy to identify the butterfly while resting  with its wings spread out.

This species has two generations in a year - the first generation emerging in May and the second one in August. The females lay the eggs on several species of the Mallow plant e.g. Malva sylvestris and Althaea officinalis.

This species has a wide distribution  range extending from Europe out the Mediterranean region, north Africa and Central Asia. It is a common species in Palestine, and is sighted almost  all the year round. It is more common in the northern Mediterranean region, extending upto the Jordan valley. It is commonly sighted in hot and dry places with flowers and grassy patches, including stony areas and woodlands.This species is normally seen to fly from March  to September.

Conservation Status: Least Concern