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Chazara briseis Linnaeus, 1764 The Hermit round dish around it and 18-21 vertical ribs. L1 usually 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 21-12-22 | 12:22:47 | SR:-- | Cyan
eats the eggshell is 1.5-1.6 mm long greyish-white with
6 longitudinal lines of long white hairs coming out of
Among the largest of the Levant satyrines, the female has a diapause; others, with hostplants available, feed during the dark protrusions, head light brown with orange tint and
larger wingspan than the male, which is reported as hilltopper. day. Larvae drop from the leaf if disturbed. Overwinters as black hairs. They descend to the lower parts of the wood
Preferred biotopes are dry, open or scrubby areas, tracks or L1 to L3, depending on location and circumstances, with and dry grasses waiting in diapause to feed on growing
steep-sided banks. During the long Mediterranean summer, C. feeding likely on warmer days. At the approach of spring, 5 grasses to get whole green colour. From L2 and on, feed © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
briseis aestivates and congregates in shady cooler areas from feeding resumes at night, the larvae hiding at the base of at night, has darker mid dorsal dark-green line and white
which they are easily disturbed. Long, motionless periods are the hostplant during the day. The mature L5 is 35 mm long, side lines that proceed to the forked short tail. Body is
spent with wings closed, well camouflaged in the shade of dry with a mid-dorsal dark-brown, segmented line, subdorsal covered with short hairs. 25-30 mm long mature larva
overgrown watercourses, or other shady refuges. In captivity, and lateral longitudinal lines of white and various shades feeds sometimes at day. On alert they raise their front
water (or nectar) is accepted only once every couple of weeks. of brown; the head and legs are ochre and four, dark brown body with head bent downwards. Pre-pupa is 17 mm long
Occasionally when disturbed, adults drop into vegetation vertical lines extend across the head capsule. L5 uses its hangs straight down, 3.5–8 cm over the soil (measured
and remain motionless (thanatosis). In Cyprus, Ptilostemon mandibles (0.5 x 0.2 mm in size) to dig its way into soft in ten pupae). The suspended 15 X 5 mm pupa is green,
chamaepeuce and Onopordum cyprium (Asteraceae) are soil where it prepares a shallow underground pupation with two rows of brown points on the abdomen, dark
preferred nectar sources (Makris, 2003: 246). The female may chamber reinforced with silk (Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): brown line with white margin at wing’s case inner margin
be dimorphic with the cream-coloured markings replaced by 922-924). The dark-orange pupa is 17 mm long, formed and a brown spot at the body centre. Wings turn brown
orange-brown (f. pirata, Esper). Hesselbarth et al. (1995(2): ventral side up. Adults hatch after 3-5 weeks. (González one day before eclosion after 9-11 days. Female carries
923) reported male puddling at pool margins, and in Cyprus, Granados et al., 2009: 476-477; Lafranchis et al., 2015: the male in cop. (DB breeding notes and Benyamini, © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
post-aestivation females have been observed puddling at 700-703; Lafranchis, 2019; SBN 1987: 249-250; DB, 2001b - illustr. below)
mud (John & Dennis, 2019). breeding notes.)
%LRORJ\ 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae) – &RPPHQVDOLVP ZLWK PLWHV Only once a phoretic mite
was photographed on M. telmessia in Israel, this single
Brachypodium, Festuca, Lolium, Poa & Stipa spp. mite was lodging on the thorax at the base of the hw
)OLJKW SHULRG late April to early November, sl to 1950 m in (Feingold 2006c & pers. comm. to DB – illustr.) – see
Cyprus (John & Skule, 2016: 318). Single record at 100 m in 6\VWHPDWLFV DNA analysis has revealed that the Cyprus Commensalism parag. in Vol I.
Hatay (Atahan et al., 2018: 82). and S European race across to Spain is separated from N
African briseis by about 1-2 MY. However, within Cyprus two 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae) - Avena
/LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine, males appearing before the females. lineages colonized the island in different periods. One is sterilis, Cynodon dactylon, Brachypodium, Bromus & Poa © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
Courting of briseis from Cyprus was observed in captivity on identical to the Balkan race in Romania, North Macedonia, spp.
10.9.2016, when a male was seen to flit around a motionless Bulgaria and Greece, the other, older, lineage arrived from
female, the male vibrating its wings, approaching close from Europe. The exact source and colonizing period needs
the side and rear before positioning head to head a few mm additional research (Vila & Benyamini, 2022, in prep.). 'LVWULEXWLRQ
apart. The male then bowed forward and folded its forewings
over the female’s antennae and wings, releasing pheromones. &RQVHUYDWLRQ TL: Marmaris, Turkey. The species’ distribution ranges
Such behaviour was repeated continuously nine times, but Considered to be in permanent decline in most of Europe, from east Aegean islands throughout S Turkey, most of Ļ
when mating was attempted, the female flipped her wings to i.e. Critically Endangered (CE) in the Czech Republic (Kadlec Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East. In the Levant, the
deter the male, before raising and concealing her abdomen et al., 2009a), Near Threatened (NT) in the European Red nominotypical ssp. is found in southern Turkey, Syria, Ļ
within her closed wings. Unreceptive females may fly tens List (van Swaay et al., 2010: 34), contracted range in Lebanon, Israel, NW Jordan, N Iraq and W Iran. Its © Evyatar Feingold
of metres up with the male in pursuit, ultimately evading France, extinct in parts of Germany, sporadic in Switzerland southern limit is N Beit Guvrin, Israel, near Tel Goded
attention by dropping down to surface and escape flying low and N Italy (Tolman & Lewington 1997: 199), regression of 31º38’ N, 384 m (Benyamini, 2003c). At N Samarian © Dubi Benyamini
and fast. The female carries the male in cop. (Lafranchis, habitat in C & N France (Lafranchis et al., 2015: 700) and Desert close to the Jordan Valley a male was recorded
2001). Throughout its range, C. briseis undergoes delayed locally extinct in Spain (González Granados et al., 2009: N Gitit 100 m in mid-April 1983 (DB, pers. obs.). It is
egg maturation, even though in some populations, e.g. in 477). In Czechoslovakia, reduced grazing, successional not recorded from Sinai. In Cyprus it is replaced by the
Czechoslovakia, there is no period of aestivation. There, overgrowth and afforestation has caused serious decline endemic Maniola cypricola.
Kadlec et al. (2009a, 2009b) reported mortality of 25- (Kadlec et al. 2009a). C. briseis remains very common in
55% during the period of ca. three weeks required for egg Cyprus (Sparrow & John, 2016: 318) and of Least Concern
maturation post mating. In Cyprus populations, months of (LC) in the Red Lists of Mediterranean butterflies (Numa et
aestivation then follow prior to oviposition. A caged female, al., 2016: 27) and Turkey (Karaçetin & Welch, 2011:115).
taken at Stavrovouni (Cyprus) for rearing at Beit Arye (Israel),
was observed between 16.00-19.00 on 20.7.2014, in full 'LVWULEXWLRQ
sun, behaving skittishly, occasionally turning full circle and TL: Germany. From NW Africa, Spain, France, C Italy, C
© Stav Talal
curving its abdomen 180º. Twelve eggs were eventually laid, Europe to 50ºN, Greece, Turkey, NE Iraq, to W & N Iran, © Dubi Benyamini
prematurely, on the cage wall (DB, breeding notes). Three Afghanistan, NW China, Tuva Republic S Russia & S Siberia
months after being caged outdoors at Alethriko (Cyprus), a (absent from Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Sinai)
female from the same area laid five eggs at the appropriate (Hesselbarth et al., 1995(3): 787); Tolman & Lewington,
time of year, in early October. Ovipositing in the wild has been 1997: 199; Tuzov, 1997(1): 258: Zarikian, 2016). Two
recorded in autumn, eggs often being deposited low (ca. 2 subspecies are found in the Levant: C. b. meridionalis
cm above ground) on dry grass prior to the arrival of seasonal Staudinger, 1886; TL: Amasya – S Turkey, is very rare in S
rain (Makris, 2003: 246; Lafranchis, 2001). The white, barrel- Hatay, its southern limit in the Levant (Atahan et al., 2018:
shaped egg is 1.0 mm in diameter, 1.2-1.5 mm high and with 82). C. b. larnacana Oberthür, 1909; TL: Cyprus, Larnaca,
12-14 longitudinal ribs. Before eclosion 2-3 weeks later, the is a common endemic ssp. to Cyprus, where the orange-
L1 nibbles a series of peripheral holes beneath the top of the brown f. pirata females are frequently observed. Olivier
egg and pushes upwards to emerge; most of the eggshell is (1993: 221) concurred with Oberthür’s designation of C.
eaten. L1 is hairless, tapers backwards, and is light brown with b. larnacana as a valid ssp. and confirmed this to differ
longitudinal lighter lines. Depending on location, some enter slightly, but consistently, from Greek and Turkish material. © Ofir Tomer © Stav Talal

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