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 Junonia orithya (Linnaeus, 1758)                                   Blue Pansy                                                 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan



 A migrant species that penetrates the Levant from the   between 4-6 Sept. 2021 a female was photographed in Mt
 Arabian Peninsula in the south and the Tigris & Euphrates   Hermon S Anti-Lebanon less than 2.5 km from the Syrian
 river basins in the east. Observed locally in oases, usually   & Lebanese borders (illustr. 2).
 being seen on the ground, feeding on fallen palm dates,   -RUGDQ  The first specimen in the Palaearctic region
 attracted to the weedy Phyla nodiflora LHP & nectar source   was observed in the autumn  of 1983 at Pella’s ruins
 or puddling on sand saturated with donkey urine (Larsen,   archaeological site, N Jordan Valley near Tabqet Fahel   © Adam Warecki  © Adam Warecki
 1977b).  Flight is rapid, close to the ground and J. orithya   (Larsen, 1984c), Bozano (1990) recorded migrating
 is a typical territorial species, defending its territory from   specimens at Al Mazra’a oasis (-350 m bsl) on 29 April                          DGXOW  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12
                               HJJ
 aerial invaders “...during the warmer hours” (Pringle et   1989 inside date plantation on the east coast of the Dead                 lar v a
                  pupa
 al., 1994: 122). In Neot Smadar territorial males were   Sea (illustr.) and Assaf Tsabar photographed a male in 12
 observed every 2.5-8 metres (Benyamini, 2017f & pers.   October 2015 near water of Wadi Ghuweir ~700 m at the
 obs.). The species can produce large populations in a   south limit of Dana Reserve, Edom ~ 10 km SSW  of Dana
 short time, encouraging migration, as in May 1984, when   guest house (illustr. & pers. comm. to DB).
 a migration was observed in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. Adults
 busk with wide flat wings but “disappear” with closed   ,VUDHO  is both an entry gate and expansion corridors to
 wings where its “...fairly unmarked beige underside is a   the Eastern Mediterranean region; The first known Israeli   © Adam Warecki  © Adam Warecki
 fine example of camouflage” (Larsen, 1991: 344 & 1984:   specimen was collected on 10 November 1985 by Moshe
 49). Hiding inside shrubs or tree branches while in cop.   Cohen in Paran, S Arava Rift Valley (male). In the city of
 female carries the male, but they do not tend to fly together.   Arad, NE Negev, a local urban population existed in 1991   Israel, Mt. Hermon, 2814 m, 15.6.1974
 Mating last 35-50 minutes (Andre Coetzer, Nancy van der   – 1992 using Phyla nodiflora as hostplant.
 Poorten, Benny Shalmon & Limor Gefen pers. comms. to   Adults migrate northwards along W Arabian coast or
 DB). It was assessed as NA (not applicable) for a mix of   carried to S Levant by seasonal Red Sea Troughs (RST)
 migrants & temporary populations – Renan et al., 2022   tropical storms and since at least 2016 (Lukhtanov  et
 (in prep.).    al., 2016) managed to establish a permanent colony in
 Neot Smadar Kibbutz / oasis S Negev. Without external               © Dubi Benyamini             © Dubi Benyamini
                                                                        © Adam Warecki
 reinforcements by new migrants and due to the small gene
 7XUNH\  J. orithya was first reported in the source of the   pool of this local population the adults became smaller
 Tigris River near Diyarbakir, SE Turkey in October 2010   in time and the inbreeding resulted also in crumpled   Israel, Mt. Hermon, 2600 m, 22.6.1974
 (Biriçik, 2011 - illustr. 1), and further specimens were   specimens. But after arrival of January 2019 jet stream/
 seen a year later at the same site. Coincidental with these   subsidence to southern Arava the local orithya specimens
 sightings, another specimen was photographed by Fatih   grew up substantially, possibly due to new arrivals. On 4
 Izler in Hatay on the 3rd of September 2011 possibly   Sept. 2021 a single migrating female was photographed
 arriving through the Euphrates river basin that crosses   by Rami Mizrachi in Mt Hermon 1600 m and on 10 Sept. in
 C Syria to Gaziantep in S Turkey (Murat Biriçik and Ali   the same biotope, DB found two eggs with black caps when
 Atahan pers. comms.; www.trakel.org/kelebekler). On 13   L1s were starting to emerge on Plantago lanceolata var.
 June 2013 DB and Biriçik visited the Tigris River’s sources   atrata. (Mizrachi, 2021, illustr. 2; Benyamini & Laudon,
 near Diyarbakir, where Murat last observed adults in   2022 (in prep.)).
 2011 & 2012. We found several available hostplants but
 no single Blue Pansy; it was possibly too early for this   7KH PHULGLDQ PLJUDQWV
 summer visitor that arrived in early September and stayed   Turkey, +DWD\  0W  'D]GDøL       P
 until early November (Benyamini, 2011c & 2013d).   Arriving to S Arava at the northern coast of the Gulf of
 Aqaba/Eilat, its expansion northwards splits to: 1) The
 /HEDQRQ  Lederer (1857: 91) reported a single male near   eastern Rift Valley track is marked by six records: Paran
 Beirut collected by Franz Zach between July 1853 and   (11/1985), Neot Hakikar (12/1992), Hermon 1600 m
 August 1854. It appeared in his list as “Vanessa oeone”   (9/2021), Wadi Ghuweir mouth (10/2015), Al Mazra’a
 = Junonia  oenone actually  J.  orithya. This single and   (4/1989) and Pella (10/1983) (the last three are in
 important first record to the Levant and possibly to the   Jordan) – Fig. 1). Its possibly preferred western short-  © Ali Atahan
 whole W Palaearctic Region skipped the eyes of all former   cut track to the E Mediterranean coast over C Negev
 Lebanese researcher. In the 1960’s adults were observed   and the C plateaux is listed by nine documented records
 in Western Galilee Mediterranean coast a few km south   from south to north: Kibbutz Neot Smadar (permanent   Turkey, Hatay, over Belen, 1700 m
 of the Lebanese border at Naqoura (Benyamini, 1990:   population since 4/2016); Nahal Lotz (6/2008) (= Mitspe
                              a
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                          rc
                            ic
                                          18

                                             1)
                                            7
                                  taudin
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                                        r,
                                       ge
                    A.
                      u
                       .
 110). On 31 May 2012 a northwards migrating male was   Ramon), Arad (1991, 1992), Tel Arad (3/1995), Ein Prat   A. u. turcica  (Staudinger, 1871)
 photographed by Michael Boaz near Tsipori stream N   (11/2020), Nahal Tsipori (5/2012), western Galilee
 Israel, where it alighted for an overnight stopover en route   coast in the 1960’s and Beirut (7/1853 – 8/1854).
 to Lebanon, ~ 35 km from S Lebanon border (Benyamini,   The 9/2011 record from Hatay belongs to this track.
 2012h). The recent early Sept. 2021 record in Mt Hermon   (Benyamini, 1990c; 1992e; 2011c; 2012h; 2017g);
 1600 m (Israel) is less than 2.5 km away – see next parag.  Fisher & Benyamini (1991); Fisher, (1992); Lukhtanov et
 al., (2016); Movshovits, (1992); Nadiv, (2017).
 6\ULD  on its annual summer migration up the Tigris and the   The western short-cut local track is preferred by most of
 Euphrates Rivers to S Turkey orithya adults cross Eastern   the northwards migrants including:  Pontia glauconome,
 Syria but still without tracing. Larsen’s 1983 record from   Anaphaeis aurota,  Catopsilia florella,  Vanessa cardui,
 Pella (Tabqet Fahel) N Jordan is only 28 km south of   Junonia hierta and  Hypolimnas misippus. The possible
 the Yarmuk (Hieromax) River; S Syrian border. However   explanations for these two tracks is the use of two   © Dubi Benyamini  © Yuval Evron
 174                                                                                                          163
 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   174  12/30/2021   4:28:20 PM  2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   163  12/30/2021   4:27:51 PM
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