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Thymelicus lineola Hübner, [1819]
European Skipper
Family: Hesperiidae (Skippers)
Species account authors: Crispin Guppy and Jon Shepard.
Extracted from Butterflies of British Columbia.
Introduction to the Lepidoptera of BC
Introduction to the Butterflies of BC
The Families of Lepidoptera of BC

Photograph

© Libby & Rick Avis     (Photo ID #64160)

Map

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Distribution of Thymelicus lineola in British Columbia.
(Click on the map to view a larger version.)
Source: Butterflies of British Columbia by Crispin Guppy and Jon Shepard © Royal BC Museum

Species Information


Adult

The European Skipper is similar to the Garita Skipperling except that the ground colour of the upperside of the wings is dark tan, not greenish brown. No other skipper except the Garita Skipperling has such a plain appearance. From the underside, the two species cannot be easily distinguished in the field.

Immature Stages

The egg is white and hemispherical. The mature larva has a dark dorsal stripe that distinguishes it from the larva of the Garita Skipperling.

Subspecies

None. This species was originally described from Germany.

Genus Description


The name Thymelicus is derived from the Greek thumelikos (a member of the chorus in Greek drama) (Emmet 1991). This genus was recently introduced from Europe. There are nine Palearctic species. Superficially the genus looks like Oarisma, except that the upperside of the wings is predominantly tan.

Biology


Adults are seen from late June until mid-July in the south and from mid-July to mid-August in the Skeena River drainage. Males are patrollers. Eggs are laid in a row at the base of grass leaves (Burns 1966). The first instar larvae overwinter inside the egg and hatch the following spring. The larvae of the European Skipper are a minor pest of timothy (Phleum pratense), the preferred larval foodplant.

Habitat


This introduced species was first recorded from BC at Terrace in 1960 (Burns 1966). Up to 1987, it was not known to have spread from Terrace. In 1987 it was recorded at Cedarvale by J. Shepard. In 1980 a separate introduction was noted at Sicamous by D. Threatful (Shepard 1983); the species was already well established. From that introduction it has spread east to Revelstoke and south to Nelson. In the mid-1990s the European Skipper appeared on Vancouver Island but has not yet dispersed from Victoria. It was recorded at Burnaby in 1991 but may not yet be established in the Fraser Valley. It is associated with hay fields and roadside ditches, never with undisturbed areas.

Distribution

Distribution

This species was first noted at London, ON, in 1910 (Saunders 1916). Until the separate 1960 introduction to Terrace, BC, it had only spread east to NB and south to MD. Since the second BC introduction at Sicamous in 1980, the European Skipper has spread to much of temperate North America.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
ExoticSNAExoticNot Listed



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