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P. 105

matings and egg-laying take place later in the summer   7
 at least until the end of September (Benyamini, 2003g).
 The barrel-shaped eggs are white, ~1.5 mm in height
 and ~1 mm wide, and have 18 vertical ribs. Ten days
 later an hatching L1 nibbled a round cut in the periphery
 of the upper flat circle and push it up to escape the   Lekking ?
 #
 eggshell. It was 2.7mm long, off-white / straw-like with              © Dubi Benyamini           © Dubi Benyamini
 dark spots on the head, five brown lines along the body
 and dark spots on each segment. Lines of short white
 hairs were present along the body, on the head and on
 the forked tail. By 29.10.2011 only one larva started
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 7 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Magenta
 eating  P.  miliaceum that was available to the larvae   Israel, Mt. Carmel, 300m. 2.6.1961
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 7 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Yellow
 #21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 7 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Black
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 7 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Cyan
 while all others were motionless in summer aestivation.                           DGXOW
 9
 1    2     3    4     5     6     7    8     9   10   11  12
 9
 1
 0
                      HJJ  12  34  5  6  7  8  8  91 01 1  1 2
 On 3 November started the autumn rains and the larvae                 lar v a  © Dubi Benyamini  © Dubi Benyamini
          pupa
 gradually resumed feeding at the recommencement of
 hostplant growth at which time larval colour changed
 from brown to green. By 14 November only two L1’s
 were still in diapause while the others were already
 green between 5 and 12 mm long. 12-14 mm long L3
 is whole green with longitudinal thin lines of white and
 shades of green, a wider white line at the lower sides
 and transverse fine wrinkles along the larva, feeding at
 night from early evening at ~ 16:00 until dawn. When
 threatened ~ 60% of the body is raised from the 7th   Sinai, Wadi Shag-a-Tlach, 1450m. 23.6.1990  © Dubi Benyamini  © Dubi Benyamini
 abdominal segment to nearly 90 degrees, possibly
 trying to mimic a green stem. During the winter months
 of December – January they grow slowly resume feeding   Israel, Beit-Arye, 320 m. 2.8.1986
 only on warmer days. On 25.2.2012 an L4 attained the
 length of 25 mm and was light brown having similar
 longitudinal strips like the last instar. Most of the L5’s
 attained their final length of 38-39 mm and 4.5-5 mm
 width by mid-April 2012 and the last one on 1 May 2012.
 The fully grown larva is camouflaged on the grass stems
 and blades by longitudinal strips; wide brown at mid-
 dorsal, wide light brown at the sub-dorsal, two yellowish-     © Dubi Benyamini        © Dubi Benyamini  © Dubi Benyamini
 brown thin side lines, broad brown strip with short hairs   Sinai, Wadi Tlach, 1400m. 25.5.1974
 and upper white margins at the lower side and yellowish-
 brown thin lines above the legs. The head is smaller than
 the max width of the abdomen and have six brown strips
 extending to the forehead. The tail “fork” is small with   Israel, Wadi Qelt, 265 m. 24.5.1986
 short hairs and brown-white strips. First L5 started to
 wonder on 6 April looking for a place to pupate. Larvae
 pupated in the soil, 10-20 mm below surface or under
 litter. The pupa is velvety reddish-brown, formed bottom
 up in its subterranean flexible chamber constructed from
 soil particles bonded with silk. They were 18 mm long,                                           © Dubi Benyamini
 6-7 mm wide and hatched after 4-6 weeks, between the
 2nd and 12th of June 2012.

 5HFRUGHG   KRVWSODQWV   Poaceae  (Gramineae)  -  S Jordan, Gebel Rum 1200m. 22.5.1998
 Piptatherum holciforme, P. miliaceum, Bromus spp.                                                  © Samir Hamza

 © Dubi Benyamini
 'LVWULEXWLRQ  N & S Sinai (Benyamini, 1984), NW Saudi Arabia (a
 specimen collected on 26 June 1982 by Sarko Tilkian
 TL: Mt. Sinai (Egypt). The species’ distribution ranges   in the mountains west of Tabuk (Larsen pers. comm. to
 from S Turkey? to Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan (Deir   Pittaway, 1985) and two specimens reported by a team of
 Alla, Wadi Kafringi, Arda Rd, Jebel Umm ed Deraj, Wadi   the Riyadh Research Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture
 Zerqa (Larsen & Nakamura, 1983); Gebel el Khash   and Water – a male from Tabuk 25 June 1983 and a
 1200 m (KS) Hisma Basin, Gebel Rum area S Jordan   female from Taif N Hejaz on 26 June 1983 (both leg. Prof.
 (not marked in Fabiano’s map, 1998); Dana Reserve   A. S. Talhouk (Witshire, 1986)). Absent from Cyprus. The
 and Petra, Edom Mt S Jordan (Benyamini, 2002a); Al   Sinai and S Jordan/Tabuk populations are isolated from
 Mujib Nature Reserve, Wadi Shgeig (Katbeh-Bader et al.,   those in the northern Levant and differs by being lighter,
 2003); Jabal Umm ad-Dami 1740 m S Jordan / Saudi   possibly an indication of future subspeciation.   S Jordan, Gebel Rum 1200m. 22.5.1998
 Arabian border (Benyamini, 2000d & Larsen, 2008)),                                                  © Stav Talal


 104                                                                                                          105




 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   104  12/30/2021   4:25:00 PM  2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   105  12/30/2021   4:25:07 PM
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