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Argynnis pandora (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)            Cardinal   Argynnis niobe (Linnaeus, 1758)              Niobe Fritillary


 A large fritillary, uncommon but may be locally abundant.   picked by hand) in Eilon N Israel, Lebanese border; on   Superficially resembles  Melitaea spp., but is larger.
 Easily separated from other fritillaries by the presence   this exceptional event the specimen was possibly blown   Flight is rapid and fairly close to the ground. Rare in
 on both sexes of a large expanse of red on the forewing   westwards from the Golan some 40-50 km away (Gadi Ish-  Hatay, S Turkey, where adult flies in flowery meadows,
 underside. Females have clearly defined silver lines on the   Am, pers. comm. to DB – illustr. 4).   forest glades and mountain slops (Atahan et al., 2018:
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 hindwing undersides, muted in the males. The Cardinal   Jerusalem mountains- “big and beautiful” specimen that   56), but may be locally common in the Anti-Lebanon
 has a rapid and high flight allowing it to cover great   existed in father Schmidt’s  collection in Jerusalem and   range, where adults prefer the subalpine and alpine
 distances and to travel far from its woodland breeding   possibly collected there was reported several times in lit.   vegetational belts at higher elevation, and adults are
 areas to sources of nectar. Somewhat hilltopping species,   - (Bodenheimer, 1932; Bodenheimen & Katshalski, 1936;   often observed nectaring on the pink flowers of the wild
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 it is known to group nectaring and puddling (illustr.   Bodenheimer, 1937) but was not found in Schmidt’s   dwarf prostrate cherry (Cerasus prostrata). Males patrol                          DGXOW  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12
                                                                                HJJ
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 9 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Magenta
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 9 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Yellow
 1.) On Mt Hermon, Israel, tens of adults were recorded   collection at the Schmidt’s girls college in E Jerusalem by   ravines, dolines and slops in search of females. Rated                 lar v a
 #21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 9 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Black
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 9 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan
                                                                   pupa
 aestivating on oak trees in the coline vegetation belt   DB who visited it on 1 July 1983 (Benyamini, D. 2015b).   Endangered (EN) in the Israeli Red List of Butterflies due
 (1500-1600 m) during the summer months, were their   On 24 May 1994 Shai Libzon a yeshiva student collected   to its small population (Renan et al., 2022 (in prep.)).
 green underside camouflage them well among the leaves   a live specimen in the centre of Alon Shvut, 960 m asl, 24
 (Moshe & Benyamini, 2016 – illustr. 2). In the autumn,   km S Jerusalem, nectaring on Lavandula angustifolia (=
 after their aestivation, courting males fly behind and   L.  officinalis). No other specimens were observed there   %LRORJ\
 slightly above female among  Quercus trees from 1-1.5   ever again (Avihai Binyamini, 1998 & pers. comm. to DB).
 up to 15 metres above ground. After landing on Cirsium   The only available source of these rare migrants are Mt   )OLJKW  SHULRG  May to June. 900-1900 m in Hatay, S
 phyllocephalum (Asteraceae)  flowers – illustr. 3, female   Meron/S Lebanon that are 150-170 km to the north.   Turkey (Atahan et al., 2018: 56); May to mid July in cold
 rejected advancing male by its semi-open forewings, flat   years, 1500-2300 m in the Anti-Lebanon mountains;
 hindwings and lifted abdomen (OT & DB  obs. in Mt Hermon   /LIH  KLVWRU\  univoltine. Early stages partially observed   1828-2300 m in Al-Lazzab reserve, Syrian Anti-Lebanon
 1200-1300 m in 21-25 Sept. 2015). In Madrid province,   in the Levant. On 24 September 2013 between Serinyol   (Zarikian & Ghrejyan, 2018).
 C Spain mated couples were photographed in September   and Arsus, 1100 m, in S Amanos Mt, Hatay, S Turkey a
 (Garcia Barros, 2000 & pers. comm. to DB). In the second   female landed at the bottom of a small ravine at the forest   /LIH  KLVWRU\   univoltine. Early stages not reported in
 half of the 1900s, the species experienced a decline in   edge, walked and checked litter for several minutes and   the Levant. In Europe the females lay up to 150 eggs
 numbers in C Europe (“hardly occurs” there Wiemers pers.   eventually laid a single egg on a dry oak leaf (Quercus sp.)   singly and rarely in small clusters on the ground, stones
 comm. in Sept. 2021).  Rated in Israel as Vulnerable (VU)   (DB & OT pers. obs. – illustr. 5), on Mt. Hermon, Israel,   or dry plants near the LHP. Sometime eggs are laid in
 due to limited distribution and small population (Renan et   females were observed laying eggs on Crataegus aronia   bark cracks on tree up to 2.5 m above ground. The egg   A. n. philistra Seitz, [1909]
 al., 2022 (in prep.)).    trunk and branches 1.5-2 m above ground (DB per. obs.).   has 14-16 vertical ribs and yellow when laid, changes to
 The egg is 0.45-0.60 mm tall (0.55 mm average, n=20),   brown and turn grey before eclosion. The fully formed L1
 0.48-0.64 mm in diameter (0.54 mm average, n=20),   hibernates within the egg until next spring. The hatching
 %LRORJ\  cone shaped with a flat top covered with small bumps. It   larva does not consume the eggshell. Between feedings
 has 15-21 ribs (17-18 average, n=20 and is smaller than   the larva hide in the leaf litter or under stones near the
 )OLJKW  SHULRG  In Mt Hermon, adults start flying in May   eggs of other  Argynnis spp. (Garcia Barros, 2000)). The   LHP. The larva feeds on the hostplant leaves and flowers,   © Dubi Benyamini
 and are on the wing until July, when they enter partial   egg is cream-white when laid and changes to orange, and   and to the slightest disturbance curls its body and fall
 aestivation, resuming flight in September or October at    brown before hatching. The larva hatches after 6 days   to the ground. The larval stages last about 2.5 months.
 which time eggs are laid; Occasionally observed throughout   and consume the eggshell - illustr. 6. L1 is 1.3 mm long,   Pupation takes place at the base of the LHP in a loosely   © Dubi Benyamini
 the summer in Cyprus, but elsewhere the reduced numbers   pale gray with 6 rows of protrusions along the body, each   constructed cocoon made of leaves joined with silk.
 during this period have led to speculation of bivoltinism   bearing a long black hair. The head is black, glossy and   Adults eclosed after 7-24 days. Males eclosed 7-10 days
 (e.g. Tolman, 1977; Larsen, 1974: 121); May-July and   covered with short white hairs. The dorsal area behind   before the females (Lafranchis  et al., 2015: 526-527;
 October 900-1800 m in Hatay (Atahan et al. 2018: 57);   the head is marked with a dark spot, it overwinters until   Warecki, 2010: 88 and pers. comm. to DB).
 “A common species of the flowery openings in the woods   the regrowth of its Viola spp. LHP. The mature larva is 35   © Adam Warecki  © Adam Warecki
 of the hillside and in flowery mountain pastures” in May-  mm long, black body with small white dots and yellowish-  5HFRUGHG  KRVWSODQWV  Violaceae –  Viola canin,  V.
 July and worn individuals after the summer aestivation   brown conical protrusions with branched spins and   modesta and V. tricolor var. [C].
 in August to late September in and around the Aammiq   yellowish-brown line along the sides. The suspended 23
 marsh/area in the Beqaa Valley E Lebanon (Beale &   mm long pupa is black with light-brown spots and two
 Sprenger, 2006); 1545-2602 m at the Al-Lazzab reserve   rows of small light-brown protrusions along the dorsal   'LVWULEXWLRQ
 Syrian Anti-Lebanon (Zarikian & Ghrejyan, 2018).     side of the abdomen. The spiracles are black. (González
 Granados et al., 2009: 396). The adult eclosed after two   TL: “Europa”. The species’ distribution ranges from W
 0LJUDWLRQ    weeks (Warecki, 2010: 85).  Europe to C Russia, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and
 Golan heights -  singeltons migrate southwards from Mt   Hermon. Absent from Cyprus, Jordan and Sinai. The
 Hermon and were observed in May-July and again in   5HFRUGHG  KRVWSODQWV  Violaceae -  Viola modesta,  V.   species reaches its southern limit of distribution at Mt.   © Adam Warecki  © Dubi Benyamini
 October in: Masada Forest (DB, July, 1973), Mt Varda   tricolor var. [C]. In Cyprus, the suspected hostplants are   Hermon.
 (Avni, M.  May 1992c; Movshovits, June 1992),  Mt Odem   V. odorata, V. sieheana and V. alba (Makris, 2003: 234).  Two subspecies have been described from the Levant:
 (DB, June 2002f), Merom Golan (Avni, Z. & M. Oct. 2003),   Argynnis (Fabriciana) niobe gigantea Staudinger, 1871;
 Mt Bental (Avni Z., Oct. 2005), Mt Hazika (DB Oct. 1981;   TL: “Hyre” (Astrabad, Hadjabad, Iran) – S Turkey - not
 Kirshenbaum & Avni Z., May 2016) as far as Butmiya   'LVWULEXWLRQ   TL: Vienna. The species’ distribution   illustr.
 Resevoir 40 km S of Mt Hermon lower slopes      (Schneider,   ranges from the Canary Islands and N Africa (Tunisia),   Argynnis (F.) n. philistra Seitz, 1901; TL: Syria – Syria,
 July 2002).   to S Europe, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, N & C Golan   Lebanon, Israel (Hermon).
 Upper Galilee - migrating singletons from nearby S Lebanon   heights and Israel. The species reaches its southern limit
 were observed on top of Mt Meron; (Startiner, Sept.   of distribution in C Israel at S Jerusalem Mts. where it is an
 2015; Zaltzman, June 2018; Orgad, Oct. 2019). However   extremely rare visitor. Absent from Jordan and Sinai, but
 on 9 Oct. 1993, after three days of “Eastern hot, dry &   present also in Iraq, Iran to NW India. The nominotypical
 strong winds” a single worn male was collected (actually   ssp. flies in the Levant.  © Ofir tomer  © Stav Talal
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