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(JJ OD\LQJ the relatively large eggs are laid singly, 'LVWULEXWLRQ 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 8 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan
usually at mid-day, preferably on dry leaves and stalks
low over the ground, at the base of LHPs or on ground / TL: “Syria, Arabia félici et deserta” and Aden, Yemen. The
stones. Estimated egg quantity is a few tens per female. species’ distribution ranges from the dry areas of Africa
to Oman and SW Arabian Peninsula, Jordan (absent
/DUYDO GHIHQFH KLEHUQDWLRQ DHVWLYDWLRQ their from Egypt), Israel, Lebanon, Syria (Latakia mountains &
polymorphism (discussed above) gives them excellent Coastal area NW Syria; Mudar Salimeh, Syrian Butterflies
camouphlage on dry and green LHP’s leaves and stalks web-site), Cyprus and Turkey. The southern distribution
but on several occasions aggregation of several larvae limit in the Levant is in Yatir Forest 550 m, S Hebron © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
1.5 – 5 cm apart in &RPPXQDO IHHGLQJ was possibly Mts Lat. 31°20’N (ILS field trip, 8 May 2004) Israel and
DGXOW
01
0
11
2
3
5
3
1
2
1
9
8
1
9
aiming to give them safety in numbers. Feeding usually Gawr as-Safi S Dead Sea Lat. 31°01’N, Jordan (illustr. HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
lar v a
at night starting from ~ two and a half hours before 3). But up in S Jordan Edom Mountains the limit expands pupa
sunset but fully grown larvae feed sometimes also further south to Dana Reserve, Lat. 30°40’N near Petra
during day; they are possibly too hungry to wait for the (Benyamini, 2002a). While collected in the White Nile
night. During adults absence (Mid December to early near Kanisa (Lat. 6°50’) and recorded as “not uncommon
April 2020) larvae were not observed on the hostplants at Port Sudan”, Sudan by Longstaff (1913), Y. asterope is
and on 3 February 2020 one large pot of perennial Poa unrecorded from Egypt and north Red Sea region: absent
trivialis was checked carefully for early stages where from the north-western coastal regions of the Red Sea © Dubi Benyamini
only ten diapausing larvae (no pupae) were found at and Sinai, however along the eastern Red Sea coast the ©Dubi Benyamini
the base of this preferred LHP, including: four 9-12 species is present in SW Hejaz up to Ashaira (Medinah)
mm long L3 (40%), three 17-18 mm long L4 (30%) and (Larsen, 1983: 440), but has yet to be looked for along the
three 20-24 mm long fully grown L5 (30%). Mid-summer remaining (northerly) coastal region of Hejaz and along
slow-down activity with fewer observations of adults the Gulf of Aqaba (Benyamini & Müller, 2020). Further
(4.8% of annual activity between 15 July to 15 August northwards until the Dead Sea its absence along 160 km
was measured by BMS Israel) is reflected also in larval of the Arava north of Eilat and Aqaba is confirmed by the
activity, not reported before: On 18 July 2014 in Beit- author. There is no continuous link bridging Y. asterope © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
Arye, a 20 mm long L5 light brown motionless larva populations in the United Arab Emirates and Oman with
was observed under a dry leaf of Setaria verticillata, those in tropical Asia, so there is some uncertainty
DB suspected that it was parasitized but its colour did about the presence of Y. asterope asterope in India and
not change and finally it pupated on 20 October - illustr Myanmar (Burma). Y. asterope mahratta Moore, 1884,
1 (previous page) and on the afternoon of 6 November is generally accepted to occur in western India (Larsen, P. p. pelopea
a male hatched successfully. This is the first reported 2002), although Larsen (pers. comm. to EJ) suggests this
three months larval mid-summer aestivation of a fully might be a distinct species. The nominotypical ssp. flies
grown Y. asterope larva (DB breeding notes). However it in the Levant.
does not mean that all asterope larvae aestivate in mid-
summer i.e. in cooler biotopes larvae do not stop feeding
for aestivation.

$GXOW GHIHQFH WKDQDWRVLV On 7 September 2019 in
Beit Arye DB tried to collect the fourteenth specimen for
the breeding experiment but under the collecting net it
closed its wings and turned sideways on to the ground
pretending to be dead in typical thanatosis. This type of Turkey, Gaziantep S.Nizip 750m. 30.5.1991: pr. Leg. R Leestyans
behaviour is rare for the African Ringlet (DB field notes).
3UHGDWRUV most of the adults losses were to jumping
spiders (Salticidae), but also to green preying mantids © Dubi Benyamini
and small ants praying on eggs, small larvae and adults.
© Stav Talal
5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae) - Avena
sterilis, Brachypodium distachyon*, Cynodon dactylon,
Digitaria sanguinalis*, Echinochloa colonum*,
Hyparrhenia hirta (Israel, Cyprus), Poa bulbosa,
P. trivialis* - illustr. 2, Piptatherum holciforme*,
P. miliaceum, Setaria adhaerens, S. verticillata*, Turkey, Gaziantep S.Nizip, 1200-2000 m. 1.7.1998, Leg. R Leestyans
Andropogon distachyos [?], Urochloa mutica (?)
(Benyamini, 2017h). Cyperacea: Cyperus alternifolius* P. p. persica (Christoph, 1887)
(Benyamini, 2013c).

* hostplants in the breeding experiment of DB discussed above.

© Samir Hamza © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini

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2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 126 12/30/2021 4:26:07 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 115 12/30/2021 4:25:34 PM