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| All contents and photographs copyright Matt Rowlings, ©2003-2008. |
| Photos: explicit permission must be obtained from Matt Rowlings for any use of any images from eurobutterflies.com. |
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Pigmy Skipper
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Crete, June 2004 |
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Crete, June 2004 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 |
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Cyprus, April 2002 It was on this photo I noticed something strange on the proboscis. They are the pollina from an Orchid - the pollina is attached to the proboscis by a sticky pad called the viscidium. |
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Cyprus, April 2002 A different insect. The pollina on the proboscis are clearly shown. |
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Cyprus, April 2002 More pollina on the proboscis. |
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This rather dull dark brown species is found the length of the Mediterranean in localised coastal regions of the Mediterranean. Apparently in decline in many places though and may already have been lost from SE France. Very rare in northern Africa, perhaps the best places to find it are the eastern Mediterranean islands - where we found it. It flies very fast in extremely hot dry rocky places. It sits on the hottest rocks in full sun where its speed and reactions are presumably necessary to evade its similarly active cold-blooded predators such as lizards. I was browsing the possible photographs to publish here when I noticed the rather strange and unexpected appendages on the proboscis. I had no idea what they are, having never heard of their existence before. It turns out that they are the pollina from an Orchid - the pollina is attached to the proboscis by a sticky pad called the viscidium via a short stalk. From what I gather when the butterfly visits another flower the pollina, or pollen sacks, are ideally placed to stick to the next flower, thus pollinating it. It also affects other species of butterfly, such as the Spanish Marbled White, Melanargia ines: follow this link to a photo by "hippobosca". See also this link for close up photos of the structure of the orchid (see the pink orchid about half way down the page). If anyone has more info, please contact me.this site. All suggestions welcome. Thanks. |