50441_female_Bouches-du-Rhône_28Aug22

36686_female_Bouches-du-Rhône_4Sep14

36661_female_Bouches-du-Rhône_4Sep14

This, like several other species that occur in isolated regions of southern France, is principally an Iberian species which "leaks" into the extreme south of France, where it is highly localised. It also occurs in southern Italy and southern Greece. The upperside is superficially similar to Pyrgus grizzled skippers although it is not of the Pyrgus genus. The underside is quite different, the marking beings more diffuse than the clearly delineated marks of Pyrgus species, and having more in common with Carcharodus species. It is quite large, perhaps rather larger than the largest of the Pyrgus species.

It is generally a species of medium altitudes, with a range of 0-1000m. It is univoltine from June to October, although most common in late summer.

It is generally found in the vicinity of its larval hostplant, various species of the Phlomis genus, the purple-flowered P. herba-venti, the yellow-flowered P. lychnitis, or, in the PACA region, P. fruticosa (according to Lafranchis). In the two locations where proto has been seen in Var, P. herba-venti was common. However, in the one location I have seen proto in Var in the greatest numbers, it appeared to be in a region of P. fruticosa.

The late August and September photographs on this page are from the end of the flight period where most of the twenty or so individuals seen in 2014 were showing signs of wear, with only a few females still looking reasonably fresh. They were nectaring incessantly, so these photographs were snapped on the move. I revisited the location in mid-July 2017 which was clearly the start of the flight period, as only males were flying and they were mostly quite fresh. They were nectaring on white Scabious (is this Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)? Can this be white as well as lilac or pink?). In 2019, a notable late season, I visited the same site in Var in mid-July and proto had not yet emerged.

In 2022 and 2023 excessive temperatures and absence of rainfall for long periods created a very baked and flower-free terrain in southern Provence; very few butterflies were on the wing in late August, but proto was still going reasonably strong.

The English name is something of a misnomer in my experience, as most are decidedly brown and only 45673 could be described as sage green from whence it presumably gets its name.

This species was previously known as Syrichtus proto.

ref

sex

observations

alt. m

36686

F

a female, still relatively fresh.

640

36661

F

a female egg-laying on what appears to be Phlomis fruticosa, based on the rounded end of the leaves (lychnitis and herba-venti appear to have more pointed leaves), although it is very difficult to say for certain.

640