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the slowest-growing larvae developed in accordance with
the species’ biological clock, pupating from early April, with
adults beginning to emerge from early May to early June. On
dawn of 3 May 2013 at 05:38 an adult started to emerge to
the ground surface from its subterranean pupal chamber.
Two video cameras both black & white and colour (filmed
#
by Yaron Melech) followed the adult emerging from the soil
and climbing on dry grass to straighten its wings – this rare
experiment is detailed in next page. Under these artificial
conditions, courting and mating was noted on 10 May and
egg-laying on 18 May, three and a half months earlier than
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 6 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Magenta
in nature (Benyamini, 2011b). At this point, the breeding
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 6 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Yellow
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 6 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 6 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Cyan
experiment was brought to an end and all adults released. The
study served to highlight the species’ ability to survive in the
extreme conditions encountered naturally in the desiccating
heat of the Levant summer, by delaying oviposition until
the arrival of more favourable conditions in autumn, when
seasonal rainfall triggers regrowth of grasses. This contrasts
with the L1 stage of another satyrinae, Melanargia titea that
can survive motionless for over six months throughout the
dry summer.
5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae) – Brachypodium © Ofir Tomer © Dubi Benyamini
distachyon, Piptatherum miliaceum, P. holciforme, Poa
annua, Festuca and other available grass spp.
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7/ ´0DUPDUDJHELHW ,VWDQEXO %XUVD 7HNLUGDø µ 1 FRDVW
Sea of Marmara, Turkey. The species’ distribution ranges
from former Yugoslavia to Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon,
Israel, N Jordan, N Iraq, Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, W
& N Iran to S Turkmenistan. The southernmost world limit
of distribution is reached in Khirbet Tsura (407 m, latitude
31º40’ N), 14.5 km NE of Kiryat Gat, S Israel. Absent from
Cyprus and Sinai. Two subspecies have been described
from the Levant: H. f. fatua (Freyer, 1844); TL: Marmara,
Turkey – S Turkey and H. f. sichaea Lederer, 1857; TL: Beirut
(Lebanon) – Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. Classified by
Kudrna (1977) in subgenus Neohipparchia (Sbordoni et al.,
2018: 108). Transition zone exsist in Syria between these
two sspp. - illustr. 3 in former page. © Dubi Benyamini

© Dubi Benyamini

© Dubi Benyamini
10 May 2013 courting inside a large breeding cage in Beit Arye, see courtship sequence in the introduction to Hipparchia.

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2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 90 12/30/2021 4:24:20 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 87 12/30/2021 4:24:04 PM