Gegenes pumilio

Gegenes pumilio, the pigmy skipper or dark Hottentot, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found from the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea through Anatolia to the Himalaya and south in the whole of Africa.

The length of the forewings is about 14 mm. Adults are on wing from April to October in multiple generations.

The larvae feed on various grasses, including Gramineae species as well as Pennisetum clandestinum, Ehrharta (including Ehrharta erecta) and Cynodon species.

Subspecies

 * Gegenes pumilio pumilio (southern Europe, Middle East, India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman)
 * Gegenes pumilio gambica (Mabille, 1878) (Africa, Arabia to Lebanon, Turkey to northern Pakistan, Kashmir)
 * Gegenes pumilio monochroa (Rebel, 1907) (Yemen: Socotra)