Pyronia Cecilia, (Vallantin, 1894) commonly known as the Southern Gatekeeper.
Family: Nymphalidae
Season June to September.
Wingspan 34 to 40mm (females are likely to be closer to 40mm as the males are smaller, around 34mm) The sexes are easy to tell apart, on the males upperside forewing, he has dark patches comprising of scent producing scales known as androconia. The female P. Cecilia has no dark patches on the forewings, more of an orange coloured butterfly. The Southern Gatekeeper is more obliging to see these markings than other Gatekeepers as they often rest with their wings open.
To identify P. Cecilia from P. Tythonus, it has a silvery mottled underside of the hindwing which the latter species has not.
Habitat: Rocky grasslands, fields and slopes, preferring warm dry habitats often below 1,200m but can also be found up to 2,300m in the mountains. In South-East Europe two broods are the norm, the larvae feed on various grasses.
The Southern Gatekeeper is a rather common Butterfly, found in most of Southern Europe and into North Africa.