The lifecycle and ecology of the Spinose Skipper - Favria cribrellum (Eversmann, 1841) in the Republic of North Macedonia (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae)

Abstract

The Spinose Skipper, Favria cribrellum (Eversmann, 1841) [formerly in Muschampia] is considered to be a very localised species in Eastern Europe occurring in only a small number of isolated colonies. Its ecology, especially relating to its host plant, has long remained unknown. Only in the last decade of research has more light been shed on the distribution and habitat requirements of this species in its western range. The host plant of the Spinose Skipper in the Republic of North Macedonia is revealed for the first time. Three eggs and three larvae were discovered in 2017 on a species of Potentilla, tentatively identified as P. detommasii, from a site near Govrlevo, SW of Skopje. The choice of a cinquefoil as a hostplant provides new evidence to support the species recent separation from the genus Muschampia.