18. D ESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE: HESPERIIDAE Borbo (Boisduval, 1833)

DESCRIPTION

Wingspan: From 2.5 to 3.5 cm. Closed wings: Hindwings are yellowish with small black spots, some of which are white in the centre. Forewings are the same at the apex, while the other part is brown with white spots that increase in size towards the inside of the wings. Open wings: This does not show them very often, but when it does, we can perceive their dark brown colour and white spots on forewings.

Yellow ground colour

Small black spots, some of which are white in the centre

Dark brown

White spots that increase in size towards the inside

72 DIURNAL BUTTERFLIES • GR-249 Great Malaga Path Mediterranean Skipper (Gegenes nostrodamus): This species can hardly ever be seen with open wings. When its wings are closed, they are grey or creamy white. Female butterfl ies have some white spots on the forewings, which are sometimes diffi cult to notice.

This migratory species has recently been noticed in Málaga in autumn, but there is no certainty that it is located there. Its closest colonies are in Cádiz, where there create three generations a year , and live on marshy ground, and spots which are frequently covered in puddles because this is where its foodplant, a gramineous plant Polypogon viridis, can be found. In Málaga it has been spotted in urban areas, such as T eatinos, close to the University of Málaga, the mouth of Guadalhorce, and the Fuengirola and the Gudaiza rivers. The species is considered to be endangered by the Red List of Threatened Andalusian Invertebrates, but it is protected by the law. Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

These butterfl ies have not been seen along the GMP, but due to their migratory behaviour and some data obtained in Málaga, they might appear at various points along the coastal stages, above all on stage 30, close to the River Guadaiza as it is said to be seen at its upper part. There is also a probability to observe the species close to the Pasadas River in Mijas, on stage 32, considering that it has been seen several times at its lower reaches. It could also be settled, or it might settle in the future, in the plain of the Guadalhorce, close to the 35th stage. The possibility of seeing it in the city of Málaga or to the east cannot be rejected either.

Legend:

Great Malaga Path Distribution of the species along GR-249 Great Malaga Path • DIURNAL BUTTERFLIESthe GMP 73