Male with highly visible brown scent scales on the
forewing (compare female below).
Var, France, May
2004
Female
Var, France,
May 2004
Male
Spanish
Gatekeeper
Pyronia bathseba
Distribution: N Africa, Iberian peninsula and Mediterranean France.
Identification: The white stripe on the underside hindwing is
distinctive. Orange upperside with broad brown borders. Males have a large and
prominent sex brand in the the basal and discal areas.
Flight time: April to July. I've found it in early May in S France at
sea level and early July in Morocco at 2200m.
Habitat: Grassy places usually amongst dry scrub. Larvae feed on
Brachypodium grasses.
Behaviour: Generally skulk low down about the entwined twigs and
branches of scrub. I've found it on a beach where the only grasses to be found
were amongst low scrub that was stabilising the dunes. Frequently hides from the
sun by resting low in the bushes.
Almeria,
Spain, April 2009
Shade loving species, difficult to photograph as it lurks deep in shrubs
and grasses.
Prov. Malaga,
Spain, May 2008
Var, France,
May 2006
Middle Atlas,
Morocco, June 2005
Much narrower
unh white band is normal in North African populations.
