Carcharodus alceae (Mallow Skipper) is a small, brown-winged butterfly with a 28–32 mm wingspan, widely found across Southern and Central Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The caterpillars are known to create leaf shelters on Mallow (Malva) and Hibiscus plants, while the adults are characterized by a rapid, low-ground flight and a preference for sunny, flowery, or rocky habitats.
Key Facts about Carcharodus alceae:
Appearance: The upperside features reddish-brown to grey-brown wings with dark brown markings and white spots on the forewings, while the hindwings lack prominent white spots on top. The underside of the hindwing displays a distinct, high-contrast pale spot.
Behavior: Adults are fast-flying, often resting with wings open in open, sunny areas like roadsides, gardens, and grasslands.
Host Plants: The caterpillars feed primarily on Mallow species, including Malva sylvestris, M. neglecta, and Althaea officinalis.
Lifecycle: In Central Europe, they typically produce two generations, with butterflies active from late April to early September, sometimes reaching 3 generations per year in southern locations.
Range: Common from Southern Spain, Italy, and Greece, up to central
Europe, though it is usually absent from the northernmost parts of the continent.
Identification: Males lack the hair tuft on the underside of the forewing found in some other skippers.
