(Zeller, 1847)
Tufted Marbled Skipper
Description:
The Tufted Marbled Skipper can be found on flower-rich grasslands, with very different moisture levels, ranging from dry to wet.
It also occurs at the edges of woodland and in bushy vegetation.
The males, usually perched on a tall plant, defend their territory fanatically.
The female lays her eggs singly on the leaves of various woundworts (Stachys spp.). Betony (S. officinalis) is often used, but also Hedge Woundwort (S. sylvatica), Alpine Woundwort (S. alpina), and Marsh Woundwort (S. palustris) are used. Species of horehounds (Marrubium spp.) are also considered to be larval food plants.
The young caterpillar lives in a curled-up leaf. When it is bigger, it spins two neighbouring leaves together to make a shelter where it remains during the day, coming out at night to feed on the leaves of the food plant. It also pupates in such a shelter.
This butterfly has one or two broods a year, depending on its location in the range. It overwinters either as a caterpillar or a chrysalis.
Habitat:
Dry calcareous grasslands
Mesophile grasslands
Deciduous forests
Similar species:
Carcharodus alceae
Carcharodus orientalis
Carcharodus baeticus