Pyrgus cinarae (Rambur, 1839)  
Sandy grizzled Skipper,  Hesperie castillane, Толстоголовка цинара, Ցինարա հաստագլխիկ

Distribution and biological peculiarities in Armenia: 
The species has a restricted range in southeastern Europe with a small relict population in central Spain. The species is monotypic. In Armenia it is distributed patchy, mainly in  Central regions of the country, occupying calcareous grasslands located between 1,000 and 2,400 m a.s.l. The host plants are representatives of Potentilla spp. however the particular species are still a subject of study. The species has a single generation per year, the butterflies are on wing from late June till late August.
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Population dynamics:
The species is rare even within typical habitat, however the population trend in 2003-2013 shows stability (p>0.05). It appears that despite on high level of habitat specialization, the Sandy Grizzled Skipper has its mechanisms of survival intensive grazing and mowing; however the particular peculiarities which help the species are still unknown and are a subject of further study.  

Conservation measures: 
The species is not included in the Global and National Red Lists; however is evaluated for the European Red Book as Least Concern. Also, the species is not included in Bern and CITES conventions. Taking into consideration the high level of species' specialization towards habitat and its low density, the status of Near Threatened is suggested. The species' distribution range is partly covered by Khosrov Forest State Reserve, Lake Sevan National Park, and Gnishik Protected Landscape as well as by the Emerald Site Arailer; the species is presented in Gnishik, Ourtsadzor, and Artanish-Shorzha Prime Butterfly Areas. Some parts of the species distribution are located outside the Khosrov Reserve as well as Arailer and Aragats do not have protected statuses. Among potential conservation measures it is suggested: (1) to study biological peculiarities of the species for better understanding of the existing and potential threats; (2) development of the management plan for Arailer Emerald Site; (3) expansion of the area of Aragats Alpine Emerald Site to include the distribution of Sandy Grizzled Skipper as well, and development of the management plan for the site; (4) continue monitoring of the species to understand its further population trend. 

Photo: C.R. Pape

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