Large chequered skipper

Heteropterus morpheus

The large chequered skipper is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is the single member of the monotypic genus ''Heteropterus''. The species can be found in isolated populations in Europe and east across the Palearctic to Central Asia and Korea. It is endangered in the Netherlands.
Large chequered skipper. Found this beauty in a nature park called 'Groote Peel' near Ospel the Netherlands Geotagged,Heteropterus morpheus,Large chequered skipper,Netherlands,Summer

Appearance

The length of the forewings is 15–18 mm. The butterfly is on the wing from June to August, depending on the location.

As can be seen, the butterfly has a very distinctive and attractive underside but a drab upperside. This butterfly is very similar to the Chequered skipper, but they have their own attributes that allow them to be distinguished.

The flight is just as distinctive and indeed provides immediate identification of the species: it appears to bounce through the air with little sense of direction, almost as if drunk.
Large chequered skipper Extremely rare for the Netherlands, I found only one in half a day in Ospel at the Groote Peel. Geotagged,Heteropterus morpheus,Large chequered skipper,Netherlands,Summer

Distribution

In France, it has been seen in the south west including, in 2011, the Hautes-Pyrénées department.

Food

The larvae feed on ''Eriophorum'', ''Poa annua'', ''Calamagrostis canescens'', ''Brachypodium'' and ''Molinia'' species.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyHesperiidae
GenusHeteropterus
SpeciesH. morpheus
Photographed in
Netherlands