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Pseudochazara telephassa (Hübner, 1806) Telephassa Grayling Hipparchia mersina Staudinger, 1871 Mersin Grayling 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 7 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Cyan

This uncommon species is known to migrate within its In Israel, the species appears to have been retreating One of the first Hipparchia spp. to fly in spring. Local,
range and beyond to the Irano-Turanian steppe, semi- northwards to the Galilee and Mt Hermon and eastwards found in grassy open woodland, at woodland edges and
desert vegetational belt i.e. the Samarian Desert of the to the Samarian Desert since the early 1990s and ranked in wooded shady areas from 500-1500m. Adults usually
eastern slopes of Israel’s central plateaux and Judean vulnerable (VU) in the Israeli Red list of Butterflies (Renan rest on the ground with closed wings, and in so doing are
hills. However, east of the Jordan River it is “…the least et al., 2022 (in prep.)). well camouflaged. Both males and females are attracted
rare of the large satyrids in Jordan” (Larsen & Nakamura, to animal droppings and have also been observed
1983). Hilltopping male and a female were collected by puddling. Males are sometimes territorial. Females
DB in 15 June 1974 on top of the Anti-Lebanon range %LRORJ\ are larger than the males (Olivier & de Prins, 1989;
at 2800 m suggesting early mating before the summer Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): 907). It enters northern DGXOW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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aestivation. Adults congregating “during the hottest part )OLJKW SHULRG April to October, from 200 to 2814 m; Levant in S Adana and Hatay districts (Benyamini & lar v a
pupa
of the day” and in areas supporting hostplant growth, “in Arad, Israel (NE Negev, steppe, 600 m asl) I saw the Tomer, 2002).
i.e. near shady cliffs and cave entrances. Mud-puddling satyrids soon after Easter (6 April 1991), during May –
was reported on 24 July 2016 and 1 July 2017 from June by the thousands near caves, more than any other
Mt Hermon 1600 m where “one or two” (males?) were butterfly and in July completely disappeared” (Aharoni, %LRORJ\
observed and photographed on banks of a large water 1991). They reappeared after aestivation on 18 October
pool for the production of artificial snow (Oz Ben-Yehuda, (Moran Avni, 1992a) and “huge numbers were flying )OLJKW SHULRG mid-April to mid-July, depending on
Galit Moshe, Yaron Mish’an & Moshe Laudon, 2016 & during all October” (Benyamini & Aharoni, 1992), “We altitude, and again after summer aestivation from early
Moshe, 2017 respectively. Mr Trevor Trought the director observed very many specimens in Arad, mostly complete September to mid-October; July to November from 100-
of the Deir Alla agricultural research station in the Jordan individuals that did not arrive by migration” (Fischer & 2000 m (Atahan et al., 2018: 78). We observed fresh
Valley, Jordan in the early 1950’s observed a specimen Aharoni, 1992); May – August 300-1900 m in Hatay specimens in Ylanlikale (the Snake Castle) 40 km E
that came to light in the night of 28 September 1954 (Atahan et al., 2018: 84); May-June sl-1200+ m in Adana on 29 May 2002 and a day later on 30 May .2002
at wadi Zerqa (Trought field notes and MS draft now in Lebanon (Larsen, 1974: 135). End of June to mid-August, DW =L\DUHW 'DøL RYHU %HOHQ +DWD\
the NHMUK). During breeding experiments in Beit Arye 1000-1500 m N Syria (ten Hagen, 1998); June to October,
on 19 August 2016 DB observed adults activity in 19:30 500-1000 m Jordan (Larsen & Nakamura, 1983). /LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine. Eggs are laid in early September,
ca 10 minutes after sunset (DB breeding notes). Larsen following summer aestivation. Little is known of the early
& Nakamura (1983) noted that such a rare (twilight - /LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine. Breeding telephassa as part of stages, but may overwinter as a newly hatched larva,
night) activity in Rhopalocera is also known in the large BD’s efforts of breeding all Levant’s Nymphalids of Vol resume feeding with availability of fresh grass following
old tropics Evening Brown crepuscular Melanitis leda. III was practically impossible because it became rare first autumn rains.
Telephassa Grayling flies in open areas, and recorded everywhere and even in Mt Hermon the stable population
in verity of biotopes; from high alpine meadows to was less than 1% of P. pelopea. However, on 8 August Early stages are possibly similar to those of its sister
forest opening and steppe wadies. Aestivating females 2014 one female that was found there in 1600 m was species Hipparchia cypriensis
penetrate into crevasses and caves sometimes six-eight caged with dry grasses, mud and Mt Hermon Centaurea
metres deep to the farthest illuminated areas, where it iberica & Cephalaria stellipilis local nectar sources,
is cooler (sometimes wetter) and better protected from it lived until 28 August but did not lay eggs. Following 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV certainly Poaceae (Gramineae)
predators – possibly too cold for reptiles. This unique & Abusarhan et al. (2016) record from the West Bank DB spp.
safe refuge for P. telephassa seems to be very efficient started to look for telephassa in their eastern refuge at
because it serves the aestivating adults successfully the Samarian Desert and in the next four years collected:
from April at least until August seemingly without paying one female in Ma’ale Michmash 585 m on 15 August 'LVWULEXWLRQ
any tolls to several species of lizards that are active 2016; three females and one male in Rimonim 650 m on
and prowling around cave’s warm and sun-lighted 31 August 2017; one female in Kohav HaShahar 480 m TL: Mersin, Turkey. H. mersina has a restricted © Ali Atahan
entrance and where the satyride does not stop while on 18 September 2017; three females and two males in distribution from Lesbos and Samos Islands in Greece
flying straight deep into caves’ back walls and also on Rimonim 640-660 m on 12 August 2018 and two females DFURVV 6 7XUNH\ WR 0DUDû *D]LDQWHS ,Q 1 /HYDQW ² 6
their way out. Such activity was observed by DB & OT in Kohav Hashahar 480-495 m on 29 August 2018; Adana, S Gaziantep, Kilis ?, NW Syria? & Hatay where it
in Rehavam’s Caves near Kohav-HaShahar on 11 August finally in Rehavam’s Caves near Kohav HaShahar four expands to its southern distributional limit.
2019, 620 m, Samarian Desert, Israel (Benyamini & females were collected out of ten females and one male
Tomer, 2019b; Laudon pers. comm. to DB and illustr.). observed on 11 August 2019. In all these six experiments
The male is noticeably smaller than the female and has the cages included dry local grasses for egg laying, mud
a conspicuous sex brand on the forewing unlike diffused (for puddling) and Dianthus strictus local nectar source,
one in P. pelopea. Both genders aestivate in approx. ratio mineral water was sprayed daily and female’s activity was
of one male to five-ten females (10-20%), and possibly observed in late afternoon until 19:30. Avichai Benyamini
delay some matings until autumn. Females oviposit on (not a relative of DB) failed to get eggs from two females
dry grasses and disappear before or during the first days collected in Mishor Adumim 330 m on 12 April 2019 and
of the first rains. two females collected in Efrat 840 m on June 2019.

5HFRUGHG QHFWDU VRXUFHV Asteraceae: Carlina 6XPPDU\ In these eight breeding experiments between
curetum?, Carthamus tenuis, Centaurea iberica, C. 2016 to 2019 in April (1), June (1), August (5) and
crocodylium, Echinops adenocaulos, Notobasis syriaca, September (1) eighteen caged females and three males
Onopordum ambiguum; Boraginaceae: Anchusa lived from a few days up to two months but not a single
strigosa, A. undulata; Caryophyllaceae: Dianthus strictus egg was laid; the abdomens of all females were small,
(Lab.); Dipsacaceae: Cephalaria stellipilis, Scabiosa thin and empty with one exception of a worn, gravid
atropurpurea [C]; Lamiaceae: Coridothymus capitatus female collected on 31 August 2017 near Rimonim 646 m
(most of the records); Verbenaceae: Lantana camara [C]. at 31°56’16’’N; 35°20’07’’E but died before laying her
© Ali Atahan

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