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Nymphalis xanthomelas (Esper, 1781) Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell
A migrant species, rarely seen in the Levant – recorded
only once in 1894 at “Eibes” (Akbes), Hatay province, S.
Turkey by Haradjian (Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): 1013).
Inhabits deciduous woodland, orchards and river valleys
# support hierta’s on-going existence and indeed they
and is very similar in appearance to N. polychloros, but
with slightly more intensely orange-coloured upper sides
and a near-white mark inside the black border at the
forewing apex, similar to that in Aglais urticae. There is
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Magenta
also a general absence of light markings adjacent to the
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Yellow
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan
black patch on the discal area of the hindwing upper sides.
pupa
Palpi and legs are buff-coloured, unlike N. polychloros in
which they are dark brown or black. Female rejects the
advance of male by flapping her wings continuously and
raising her abdomen (DB pers. obs.). In the last decade
the species expended in Europe to S Finland and SW
Sweden where it became intermittently resident. In 2014
it expanded unprecedentedly westwards to areas never
recorded before; Netherlands, N Belgium and SE U.K.
%LRORJ\
)OLJKW SHULRG in Europe - May to September.
/LIH KLVWRU\ elsewhere - univoltine. Eggs are laid in large
clusters or piles of 150-200 on young twigs, usually
close to developing buds. The larvae eclose after 10
days, they grow quickly and reach 5th instar after two
weeks. Mature larva is largely black, heavily marked
with yellow-white spotting and with long black spines
on each segment; head is black and prolegs brown. The
pupa is light brown, very similar in appearance to N.
polychloros, and suspends similarly by rear cremaster.
Adults hibernate in winter to next spring (Warecki, 2010:
107; Lafranchis et al., 2015: 432)
5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV in Europe: Ulmaceae –Ulmus spp.,
Celtis australis; Salicaceae - Salix spp.; Anacardiaceae -
Pistacia integerrima.
'LVWULEXWLRQ
TL: “Leipzig, Wien”. Distributed from S Finland, E Europe
and N Greece through C Asia to Siberia, Mongolia, Korea
and China to Japan. In S Turkey, N Levant, Transcaucasia,
N Iraq, N Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, N Pakistan, N
India, S Tibet, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to
S and E Kazakhstan as N. x. fervescens (Stichel, 1908)
(Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): 1013; Bozano & Floriani,
2012: 12).
© Adam Warecki
© Dubi Benyamini
166
2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 166
portulacastrum as its nectar sources and Ruellia
brittoniana (Neotropical Acanthaceae, Mexican
Petunia) as its local hostplant, he also noticed that
the Kibbutz gardeners were spraying insecticides
along internal tracks and in gardens surrounding
buildings to control mosquitos. This activity did not
hardly survived 2019/20 winter not re-establishing
its population there at least until summer 2021.
-RUGDQ On 17 April 1998 the first Jordanian hierta;
6
7
9
8
DGXOW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 a territorial male that was defending its territory at
5
HJJ
lar v a Wadi Dana (Lower Dana Reserve, Edom Mt) 580 DGXOW
7
6
5
01
4
2
1
9
8
1
DGXOW
HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 m against Melitaea telona Territorial males were HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
lar v a
lar v a
pupa observed by Ofir Tomer and collected by DB – illusrt. pupa
3. It happened a few days after the arrival of a Red
Sea Trough (RST) tropical storm and the blossoming
Tamarix nilotica trees in the wadi were “covered”
by hundreds nectaring V. cardui and a few J. hierta
while D. chrysippus and H. misippus (two males and
a female) were flying around. Five weeks later; on 21
May on the west side of Gebel Rum 1085 m, S Jordan,
a worn female that arrived with mid April’s RST was 3 2
still alive flying with ~ 50% of its wing’s remains – Jordan, Edom, Dana Reserve, Israel, C Jordan Valley, Tirat Tzvi,
illustr. 4 (Benyamini, 2002a). 580 m, 17.4.1998 -219 m (bsl), 2.6.1994
/HEDQRQ The historic record of its existence near
Beirut ca 1914, when a series of migrants were
collected by Brother Cremona, is the only record of
its appearance in Lebanon more than 100 years
ago. Larsen (1974: 115 and plate 113) presented a
worn male of this series in coll. American University
of Beirut (possibly more specimens in coll. Talhouk),
and added: “It is not clear if the specimens collected 1 4
in Lebanon were migrants or were accidental S Sinai, Wadi Tlach (W. Itlah), Jordan, Gebel Rum,
N. x. fervescens Stichel, 1908 introduction“. However in its 2018’s summer 1400 m, 25.5.74 1085m, 21.5.1998
establishment in Israel it expanded northwards Dry-season migrants
along E Mediterranean coast and a specimen
was photographed in Haifa N Israel, only 33 km
© Dubi Benyamini off the Lebanese border. It is quite possible, that
the long unstable political situation in S Lebanon,
prevents any butterfly scientific research there, thus
overlooking potential hierta migrants’ appearance
along S. Lebanese coast N of Naqoura.
$UDELDQ 3HQLQVXOD Common and permanent in
© Adam Warecki © Adam Warecki
SW Arabian Asir and Yemen to Dhofar; the source
of the Levant’s migrants. Larsen (1982) observed
egg laying on Barleria apressa in Yemen, Pittaway
(1985) recoded it year round in SW/W Arabia and
added Blepharis ciliaris to its LHP’s list. Hierta’s
smaller distribution than J. orithya in the peninsula
is possibly because it “does not appear to have
adapted to oasis conditions as successfully as the
other species (orithya)” (Larsen, 1983: 428).
© Adam Warecki African wet-season specimens
Flight is rapid, close to the ground and difficult to
follow. When at rest on the ground with wings closed, J. h. cebrene Trimen, 1870
the neutral underside wing coloration ensures J.
hierta is well camouflaged, but when it basks with flat
open wings its black-yellow typical warning coloration
seems to be highly effective against predators. The
male shows typical territorial behaviour, chasing
off intruders before returning to its territory, often
a patch of gravelly ground at the bottom of a wadi.
© leah Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
171
12/30/2021 4:28:01 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 171 12/30/2021 4:28:16 PM