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Polygonia egea (Cramer, 1775) Southern Comma 11 high and 0.7 mm max. diameter, are semi-glossy green

with 9-12 (average 10) vertical thin ribs, before hatching,
its third upper part turns black. L1 emerges after 4-7 days
Flies in a variety of habitats, especially hilly areas, where it may often in the summer but two weeks in spring, it cuts and lifts the
be seen basking in the sun. In urban areas, P. egea frequently alights upper cap of the egg to come out and does not eat its lower © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
to bask on walls, old houses and archaeological sites, particularly shell, is 2 mm long, greenish-brown with black long hairs
where its hostplants grow. This species is recognized by its orange- © Dubi Benyamini
# and dark brown head. The growing larva that hides under
brown colour, deeply scalloped wing appearance and typical flight - a the leaves “cleans” LHP branches by eating the leaves
combination of fluttering and gliding. The ‘comma’ marking on the first, then the flower buds and the flowers leaving bare
hindwing underside is more ‘V’-shaped than in P. c-album. A territorial stalks that marks its position on the hostplant. The mature
species, males site head down in their perches 10-50 metres apart, larva is up to 35 mm long. grey-brown with black markings,
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Magenta
day after day up to 36 consecutive days, they return to their point of yellow – grey - transparent branched spines, orange wavy © Leah Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini © Leah Benyamini
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Yellow
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan
origin after intercepting other butterflies entering their territory. But will side lines, white circles with black centres on the sides
intercept other congener males in spiralling flight up to ten meters high. DGXOW
8
8
5
5
9
1
0
9
1
4
0
1
7
7
4
6
1
6
HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 marking the spiracles and orange head (see details in
Rarely mud puddle (Moshe, 2016). Male’s hilltopping recorded in the lar v a the next page). L5 pupates on stiff walls, inside small
pupa
Golan Heights at Mt Bental 1100 m on 5 May 2004 (Avni, 2004), Mt wall caves/hollows 25 cm to 3 meters above the ground,
Hermon Anti-Lebanon peak at 2814 m on 15 June 1974 (DB pers. obs.), seldom on the LHP. “J” shaped suspended pre-pupa is 17-
Mt Hermon local peaks at 1850 m (Talal, 20 June 2009d), 2050-2100 18 mm long, 12-14 hours later a 20-21 mm long and 8 mm
m (Pe’er, G. 12 June 2003; Benyamini & Tomer, 7 July 2007; Benyamini, wide pupa is formed, light grey to light-brown or light gold in © Leah Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
12 June 2009e; Benyamini, 11 July 2016e and almost every year near colour. Adult hatches after 6-10 days in June—September,
Israel,
the Hermon battle monument at 2050 m), 2150 m (Benyamini et al., Jerusalem, 15 days in October and about 24 days in late October to
2 July 2005) and on top of Gebel Barouk, overlooking Lake (reservoir) 23.5.1981 mid-November. Overwinters as an adult; three adults that
Qaraoun, S Lebanon, 1990 m, 9 July 1982 (DB pers. obs, - illustr. 1). hatched in an outside breeding cage in Beit Arye (340 m, C
Adults hibernate in winter until late January or February. In late autumn Israel plateaux) on 7 November 2020 between 09:00 and
(October-November) there are occasional sightings of adults dispersing 11:00 started overwintering diapause by hiding in a dry
to warmer lower areas at internal coastal valleys e.g. near Ben-Gurion hollow under horizontal stone during rainy, cloudy, windy
international airport Lod, C Israel a specimen was photographed by DB and cold days but coming out to busk on sunny days (DB
on a red flower of Lantana camara on 3 November 2002 (Benyamini, Mt Hermon, breeding notes, Eisenstein, 2000: 202, Affranchise et al.,
2003h & illustr. 2). They descend eastwards to Samarian and Judean 2600 m. © Leah Benyamini © Leah Benyamini © Leah Benyamini
deserts (e.g. near Nokdim, 17 November 2017 (Kirshenbaum, 2018c)) 22.6.1974 2015: 448-451).
and as low as the Dead Sea coast at about 380 metres below sea-level
(e.g. 5 km south of Wadi Kidron estuary to the Dead Sea on 25 January 3UHGDWRUV Larvae are attacked by the larva-pupa Tachinid

f
u
l
b
ja
.
1975.) where they are active in warm January mid-winter days (DB pers. f. j-albumm fly Sturmia bella that hatch from the pupae. On 13
obs, & illustr. 3) and again after their hibernation when they wake up in September 2020 at Nabi Samwil many empty (hatched)
early spring (e.g. Ein Gedi, 20 February 2007 Schwartz-Tzachor (illustr. eggs without signs of leaves consumption by young larvae
4); Ein Fashkha, 24 March 1989 DB). The dark form j-album appears suggest that L1s are attacked and eaten by ants that are
usually at high elevations and is dominant at the Anti-Lebanon; a form Israel, , common in warm sunny places of the biotope.
e
l
found in Turkey and the Middle East. The southern comma used to fly in W Yehiam
iam
m.
the old city of Jerusalem, often observed on its famous historic walls but 170 m. &RQVHUYDWLRQ cleaning of old buildings walls in France © Leah Benyamini
971
now mostly disappeared from this typical egea biotope and is in a strong 12.6.1971 destroyed Perietaria judaica hostplants and egea early
decline all over Israel (DB field & breeding notes; Lafranchis et al., 2015: stages in its preferred biotopes, however after stopping 2 4 4 4
448-451). Rated Endangered (EN) in the Israeli Red List of Butterflies this destruction egea did not return (Lafranchis, pers.
due to its small population size & decline (Renan et al. 2022, (in prep.)). comm.). A similar “cleaning” happened in Nabi Samwil
(Tomb of Samuel historic site, 880 m 10 minutes by car
NNW of Jerusalem), one of the last holds of egea in Israel.
%LRORJ\ Israel, The holly site’s manager disliked the “dirty” look of the old
Dead-Sea walls and cleaned it with electric scythe. It was too late for
Coast, -380 m the Israeli lepidopterists Society to stop him and we hope
)OLJKW SHULRG January to November, depending on location and elevation; (bsl), 5 km S of
-380 m bsl (Ein Gedi, Dead Sea coast) to 2814 m at Mt Hermon peak, Nahal Kidron that egea will return when its wall hostplants will grow
Israel; May-July sl-1900 m in Hatay, S Turkey (Atahan et al. 2018: 54 & 25.1.1975 again (Eran Benyamini, Dudu Ben-Or and Moshe Laudon
pers. comm. to DB); February – September sl “to the highest peaks” in 3 pers. comms. to DB). © Dubi benyamini © Racheli Shwarz-Tsachor
Lebanon (Larsen, 1974: 120); 2300-2400 m in Al-Lazzab reserve Syrian Overwintering female
Anti-Lebanon (Zarikian & Ghrejyan, 2018); March-November -300 m 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Urticaceae - Parietaria judaica, P.
bsl (Ghawr Kabid, lower Jordan valley) to over 1000 m in C & N Jordan alsinifolia, P. cretica, P. lusitanica,
(Larsen & Nakamura, 1983; Katbeh-Bader et al., 2003).
S Lebanon,
Gebel 'LVWULEXWLRQ
/LIH KLVWRU\ polyvoltine. Males hatch two days before females, but Barouk
mate only three days later. During these three days female reject male 1990 m.
advace by lifting her abdomen between closed wings, turns head to 9.7.1982 TL: Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey). The species’
head towards the male, flipping her wings or flying away, Mating that distribution ranges across S Europe from the French Riviera
started on 29 September 2020 between 14:00 and 18:00 lust at least 1 through Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic, Greece (present on
until 21:00, while female carried the male in cop. She laid first eggs two many Mediterranean islands, but surprisingly absent from
days later. During the next nine days until 10.10.2020 she laid between Cyprus) to Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan (absent from
13 to 32 eggs every day and 152 in total. Eggs are laid one at a time, up Sinai), and east to N India and C Asia. Reaching its southern
to seven (not continuously) on the upper surface of an hostplant’s leaf Levant’s distribution limit in Arad (630 m, 31°15.5’N) NE
usually close to its edges, barrel shape tapered upwards, 0.7-1.0 mm ©Dubi Benyamini 1HJHY ,VUDHO 7KH QRPLQRW\SLFDO VVS ÁLHV LQ WKH /HYDQW © Dubi Benyamini
168 169
2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 168 12/30/2021 4:28:06 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 169 12/30/2021 4:28:11 PM