Yellow-banded Skipper
Pyrgus sidae
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrgus_sidae
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
The Yellow-banded Skipper faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss from agricultural intensification and urban development across its Mediterranean range. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the distribution and phenology of its host plants, particularly Potentilla species, disrupting the butterfly's reproductive cycle. Overgrazing by livestock in montane grasslands has degraded many breeding sites, while the species' restricted flight period makes it particularly vulnerable to weather extremes during critical reproductive phases.
Habitat
The Yellow-banded Skipper inhabits flower-rich montane grasslands, alpine meadows, and rocky slopes at elevations typically between 1,000-2,500 meters across the Mediterranean mountains. It shows a strong preference for areas with abundant Potentilla species, its primary larval host plants, often in association with traditional extensive grazing systems that maintain open, diverse grassland communities.
Other threatened species in Hesperiidae
Threatened in Albania
Frequently asked questions
Why is Yellow-banded Skipper classified as Vulnerable?
Where does Yellow-banded Skipper live?
What are the main threats to Yellow-banded Skipper?
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