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Lasiommata maera (Linnaeus, 1758) Large Wall Brown 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 3 - B | 22-01-02 | 10:39:02 | SR:-- | Cyan
0LJUDWLRQ With its slow, sailing and persistent flight, D. 13
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chrysippus can travel great distances, its migrations bearing
some resemblance to those of its more familiar American
One of the most common satyrids in the Levant, inhabiting relative, the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), similarly
Mediterranean areas, especially rural settlements, where arriving in the spring from the south and migrating NW,
hostplants grow year-round. Flight is weak, jerky and close with offspring of the spring migrants returning south to
to the ground. Males hilltop or fly among cliffs/vertical overwintering areas in autumn. The main difference between
rock faces, where they search for females (Tomer, 2005; the two species is that in D. chrysippus, the number of
Tolman 1997: 253; John & Skule, 2015: 324). Individuals specimens involved is very much smaller and they are
frequently rest with wings half open after alighting on generally solitary fliers, only rarely forming groups. Migration
rocks or on the ground. Mated females reject male flight is about a metre above ground in a constant direction
advances by repeatedly turning to face head to head, and speed; measured from a moving car, flight velocity of a © Dubi Benyamini
denying the male (wings vibrating to release scent scales) migrant was found to be 20 k/h, much slower than 35 k/h
a mating opportunity. In cop., the male is carried by the DGXOW measured for Vanessa cardui. 14
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female (Benyamini, 2001a, 2016d and breeding notes). HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
lar v a
pupa
Territoriality was reported by Benyamini (2000e, 2004b, 3UHGDWRUV DQG 3DUVLWRLGV several green praying mantids
2009c: 200), On 20 February 2021 in Beit Arye, at noon (Sphodromantis viridis, Mantodea) were observed in lower
time, maera male intercepted Vanessa cardui and chased Jordan Valley’s plains of Jericho -270 m bsl, 20 km N of the
it out of its territory (Leah & Eran Benyamini, pers. comms. city on Calotropis procera with chrysippus larvae; suggesting
to DB); flying along ravines (mate location) was reported they may pray on these larvae (DB pers. obs.). Between
by Tomer (2008) and puddling by Tomer (2001b).
9/2014 and 7/2015 50% of 8 collected pupae at the same
biotope were infested by the parasitoid Brachymeria albicrus
%LRORJ\ (Klug, 1834) (Chalcididae - det. Dick Askew), while about 40
collected larvae were clean of any parasitoid. A green fresh
)OLJKW SHULRG : January to early December, sl to 1200 pupa that was collected on 10 June 2015 did not hatch and
m depending on location in Israel, early May to early instead darkened and after three weeks hatched the wasp.
September, 1000-2400 m on Mt Hermon; 1545-2400 It proved that this parasitoid lay its eggs only inside fresh
m at Al-Lazzab reserve Syrian Anti-Lebanon (Zarikian & pupae. On two occasions in Newe-Monoson and Beit Arye
Ļ
Ghrejyan, 2018); January-November, sl-1960 m in Cyprus Israel DB bred chrysippus larvae outdoors in netted cages.
(Makris, 2003: 262); March-October, sl-2000 m in Hatay It did not prevent Pteromalus puparum (Pretomalidae) tiny
(Atahan et al., 2018: 99); “found in a succession of broods larva-pupa parasitoids to enter the breeding cages and infest
almost all year round…a fresh brood in late October”, sl- L. m. orientalis Heyne , 1894 the larvae. Ilan Ben-Yosef (Ma’agan Michael, Israel) found on © Nitzan Cohen
1500 m in Lebanon (Larsen, 1974: 142); April-July, 100- 14 Jan. 2016 in his Binyamina-Burg butterfly farm that he
1000 m in Jordan (Larsen & Nakamura, 1983; Katbeh- lost larvae to un-identified Tachinid fly (“same as in Vanessa 15
Bader et al., 2003).
cardui”). The Assassin bug Rhynocoris punctiventris is fond
of sucking pupae while eggs are the diet of ants and snails.
/LIH KLVWRU\ Generally trivoltine, but uni- or bivoltine in the Released fresh adults are often attacked in the air by pairs
high mountains. Eggs are laid singly (sometimes in pairs) © Ofir Tomer of the White-spectacled Bulbul (Pycnonotus xanthopygos)
on the hostplant’s leaves and are 1.2 mm in height, 0.8- and the Yellow Jacket (Vespula germanica) may also pray on
0.9 mm wide and greenish-white when laid. L1 emerges 3UHGDWRUV parasitized eggs develop external black chrysippus’ larvae despite their toxicity (Ronen Pryov. pers.
after 5-6 days and eats the eggshell. Measuring 3 mm in markings prior to the emergence of tiny Trichogramma comms. to DB). Within breeding cages jumping spiders may
length, L1 is greenish-white and hairy; the head is light wasps (Benyamini, 1990: 53). A larval parasitoid, Agrypon take heavy toll of sleeping helpless Queens (DB, breeding
brown with dark spots. The mature larva is 25-28 mm delarvatum (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), was reported notes).
long, green with pale yellowish stripes along the body. The from Greece (Lafranchis, 2019).
suspended pupa is 12-15 mm long and green, changing 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Many wild and cultivated Apocynaceae
colour to brown-green before emerging after 10-12 days 'LVWULEXWLRQ (formerly Asclepiadaceae) including: Araujia sericifera [C,
in June-October and 20 days in November. A complete L], Asclepias curassavica [C], Caralluma spp., Calotropis
metamorphosis occupies ca. 70 days in winter (Eisenstein TL: Sweden. The species’ distribution ranges from N Africa procera [M], C. gigantea [C], Ceropegia woodii [C, L], Ļ
2000: 216). Aestivation in the summer (between the to Europe, C Asia and the Himalayas, Turkey, Cyprus , Syria, Cynanchum acutum [M], Hoya carnosa [C, L], Gomphocarpus
second and third broods) and overwintering is in the larval Lebanon, Israel (S to Arad, N Negev), Jordan (‘scarce’ – S to fruticosus [C], G. physocarpus [C], G. sinaicus, Leptadenia
stage, with growth slowing or stopping in midsummer high Dana Reserve and Petra?, Edom) the species’ southernmost pyrotechnica, Pentatropis nivalis [?], Pergularia tomentosa,
temperatures or in winter in colder areas. An aestivating limit (Benyamini, 2002a). Descends to the Judean Desert Periploca aphylla [?], Solenostemma arghel [?], Stephanotis
late summer larva (illustr.) that resumed feeding in at Ein Fara, Wadi Kelt, NE Jerusalem at 315 m and may floribunda [C, L], Trachomitum venetum, Rosa sp. [C, L]
October, pupated in November 2015 and overwintered descend below sl around the Sea of Galilee. Absent from (Rosaceae) and Antirrhinum majus [L] (Scrophulariaceae). Ļ © Samir Hamza
to next spring; it was BD’s only experience of maera’s Sinai. Olivier (1993: 188) concluded that this ‘remarkably 15
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pupal overwintering (DB, breeding notes; Lafranchis et al., variable’ species ‘has no distinct subspecies in Europe or
2011: 570). Turkey’. 'LVWULEXWLRQ
A very rare aberration (female) with additional large ocelli
5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae) –Andropogon on the fw was photographed by Yaron Mish'an in nahal TL: ‘Canton’ (Guangdong), China. The species’ distribution
distachyos, Cynodon dactylon, Dactyloctenium australe HaShofet (HaShofet stream) reserve, Ramot Menashe, ranges through the tropical and subtropical areas of the
[C], Festuca spp, Hordeum glaucum, Pennisetum Israel, on 20 Aug. 2021 - illustr. A similar female with two Old World: all of Africa S of the Atlas Mts., Egypt, Arabian
cladestinum, Piptatherum miliaceum [C], Poa spp., ocellus on each fw was collected by Wolfgang ten-Hagen Peninsula, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Turkey,
Saccharum officinarum [C], Schedonorus arundinaceus, (Mömlingen, Germany) in Armenia, and is in his collection Iran, Iraq, Spain, Portugal and north up to S France, Italy and
Setaria adhaerens. Cyperaceae – Cyperus alternifolius and (ten-Hagen pers. comm. to DB). John Coutsis (Athens, Greece.
C. rotundus (Tomer, 1999b, 2001c, 2006b; Benyamini, Greece) noticed that a second detached fw ocelli is quite
1999b, 2003c). frequent in L. petropolitana (pers. comm. to DB). © Samir Hamza
46 35
2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 46 12/30/2021 4:21:59 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 35 12/30/2021 4:21:20 PM