Red Underwing Skipper
Spialia sertorius
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
The Red Underwing Skipper faces severe population declines across its European range due to intensive agricultural practices that eliminate its host plants and reduce flower-rich grasslands essential for adult feeding. Habitat fragmentation has isolated remaining populations, making them vulnerable to local extinctions and reducing genetic diversity. Climate change compounds these pressures by altering the timing of larval development and shifting suitable habitat zones northward faster than the species can naturally disperse.
Habitat
The Red Underwing Skipper inhabits warm, flower-rich grasslands, meadows, and woodland edges across central and southern Europe, particularly favoring calcareous soils where its host plants in the rose family thrive. Adults require diverse nectar sources including wild marjoram, scabious, and knapweed, while larvae depend on specific Potentilla and Sanguisorba species.
Other threatened species in Hesperiidae
Threatened in Afghanistan
Frequently asked questions
Why is Red Underwing Skipper classified as Vulnerable?
Where does Red Underwing Skipper live?
What are the main threats to Red Underwing Skipper?
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