Lulworth skipper Netherlands where it is now extinct. This decline has led to the butterfly's European status of "vulnerable". Isolated populations of the species in Armenia are also threatened, although not yet included in the National Red List. It is also listed as threatened under the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan. In Great Britain, where the butterfly reaches the northern limit of its range, its distribution is restricted to the southern coastline of the county of Dorset. Here, both the population and range have changed little in recent decades; it is locally abundant, with the majority of colonies found on the coast
Lulworth skipper the "Thymelicus" genus. Of Britain's five "golden" skippers—the others being the silver-spotted skipper ("Hesperia comma"), large skipper ("Ochlodes sylvanus"), small skipper ("Thymelicus sylvestris") and Essex skipper ("Thymelicus lineola")—the Lulworth is both the smallest and darkest. Beyond its small size, it is distinguished particularly by its dark, dun-coloured wings that appear with tinges of olive-brown; this darkening especially apparent in males. Variations are known to occur; in north-west Africa, the uppersides of the forewing and hindwing are darker, with hints of greenish or greyish brown. Similarly-coloured races occur in Spain, Elba, Crete, and other eastern Mediterranean islands. "T. acteon christi", endemic