Chilades trochylus (Freyer, 1845)

Host plants:
The caterpillars feed on Andrachne telephioides (Euphorbiaceae, Greece), and according to literature also Heliotropium (Israel).

Habitat:
Chilades trochylus inhabits hot, rocky and only gappy overgrown areas with some pioneer character. I found adults and caterpillars in late July 2010 in Northern Greece in large grassland areas only very locally for example in a few years ago mechanically torn area, but not in the unaffected grasslands.

Life cycle:
Chilades trochylus forms several generations from late March to October. The tiny butterflies are very easy to overlook. They usually fly close to the ground. I observed oviposition on hot spots on Andrachne telephioides, e.g. to young shoots, which grew on stone edges.

Endangerment factors:
Chilades trochylus is strongly threatened on its few sites in south east Europe (succession, overbuilding, agricultural intensification). A habitat at Kozani was destroyed by the construction of a new dirt road for a new solar farm.

Remarks:
Chilades trochylus is in Europe only known from Greece (locally on the mainland and the islands of Samos, Rhodes, Crete) and southeast Bulgaria. In addition, Chilades trochylus flies in central Africa, Egypt, Asia Minor and from the Near and Middle East to Afghanistan.