Scolitantides bavius (Eversmann, 1832)

Host plants:
According to literature, the caterpillars live on Salvia species.

Habitat:
Scolitantides bavius inhabits xerothermic, partly stony grassland slopes, which are grazed extensively.

Life cycle:
Scolitantides bavius has a single generation from late April to early June. I met a few butterflies in the first week of May 2008 in Northern Greece. In Mid-May 2011, the males were quite numerous in the Askio Mountains. They like to suck on moist trails and rocks from which some moisture oozes (minerals).

The caterpillar might be found from June to July. The pupa overwinters.

Endangerment factors:
Scolitantides bavius is threatened at its few European sites in places by overgrazing and destruction of habitats by road construction etc. Additionally abandonment of extensive grazings can displace Scolitantides bavius in the long term. A new form of threat is the widespread construction of solar parks, which are located preferentially in the less economically significant areas like grasslands. These must not be built in ecologically important areas!

Remarks:
The distribution extends from north Africa (very local) and Asia Minor to the Urals and the Caucasus. In Europe, there are few sites in the southeast (Romania, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey).