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Pseudochazara pelopea (Klug, 1832) Klug’s Tawny Rockbrown

The most common large satyrid on Mt. Hermon; its /LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine. Early stages were searched during
abundance was very helpful in documenting its life history days and nights in Mt Hermon from 1200 to 2050 m,
from egg laying to finding its nocturnal larvae in mid-night breeding took place in DB’s breeding lab. at Beit Arye,
search and their specific Poaceae hostplants. A species Israel 17°C night and 25°C day temperatures and in
of mountains, found mainly in grassy areas. Flight, unlike outside breeding cage. In Mt Hermon 1600 m in 2014
that of other members of the family, is slow, weak and eggs were laid from 17 August and in 2016 between 11-
close to the ground. Hindwings of both sexes are deeply 23 September at mid-day, every minute one egg within
serrated. Earliest courting and mating were recorded on 1-3 seconds each, singly on dry grasses preferably on
31 May 2008 by Stav Talal & Christodoulos Makris on Mt horizontal stalks or leaves a few mm over the ground. The
Hermon 1650 m during participants field trip of the first white egg is barrel shaped 0.8 mm max diameter and 0.9
international congress of butterflies of the Middle East mm high with 24 vertical ribs, turns grey before eclosion.
(Jerusalem, Israel 29.5-31.5.2008), then on 16 June 2017 2 mm long L1 ecloses after 6-9 days, it is light brown/
(Weisman, 2017) and a couple in cop. on the ground on 17 grey with nine strips; mid-dorsal greyish brown, two sub-
June 2017 (Zuk-Kovatshi, 2017) both at Mt Hermon 1600- dorsal grey and two lower side grey over the legs and four
1650 m; All within ca two weeks after adults hatchings. light grey in-between bands with diluted transparent short
Female carries the male in cop. Males and females are hairs all over the larva, legs are transparent and prolegs
present throughout their five months of flight period but grey, the head is yellowish light-grey with tiny brown spots
the ratio of their numbers is changed in favour of the and the light grey forked tail is very small (illustr.), eats
females later in season e.g. on 11 September 2016 at Mt the eggshell except its base and starts an overwintering
Hermon 1600 m of 17 adults 11 (64.7%) were females diapause until next spring. After melting of ice it will
and on 19 September 20 of 27 (74.1%) were females. The resume feeding the growth of young grass seedlings. In the
presence of such a relatively high percentage of males lab, we sprayed them with rain water on 18 January 2017
in a single annual “prolonged” generation (25.9-35.3%) after four months diapause to wake them up and soon
means that matings exist throughout their flight period; after they started to eat young Poa annua & Piptatherum
indeed both genders collected on 1 October 2016 at 1600 miliaceum (illustr.) leaves. Within three months’ nocturnal
m on Mt Hermon, and the female started to lay eggs in feeding of the larger larvae they will grow to 28-32 mm
the lab four days later on 4 October and L1 hatched on long and 5-6.5 mm wide “chunky” L5 larva. Fully grown
10 October (DB breeding notes). Hilltopping of males and larva has thirteen longitudinal lines of different shades
females was recorded by DB & OT in a local peak of Mt of brown; mid-dorsal dark-brown fragmented line with thin © Shalev Weisman
Hermon 2000 m close to the end of the flight period in bright margins, upper sub-dorsal light brown, then dark
late August 2012 where unmated females could have their brown with bright margins, light brown with white margins,
last chance to meet and mate with fewer males that lived dark brown with darker margins, broad light brown and the
the whole summer for these females (Benyamini & Tomer, lowest dark broad strip with upper black thin margins –
2012). Seldom territorial (Benyamini, 2013b). Mud puddle illustr. They will dig a subterranean chamber, coated with
singleton males are rarely observed and photographed silk, 10-20 mm below surface where upside down pupa
e.g. at the banks of water pool for the production of will be formed. It is reddish-brown, smooth, 17 mm long
artificial snow, Mt Hermon 1600 m by Galit Moshe on and 6.5 mm wide and hatched after 21-26 days; much
16 June 2016 (Moshe, 2016b) and by Israel Sade on 24 shorter than ca 42 days of Hipparchia spp.
September 2019 in the same place. However, they always
prefer nectar sources; Centaurea iberica at the beginning 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae) – Aegilops
of the flight season then Eryngium billardierei and triuncialis, Bromus tectorum, Bromus sp., Dactilis
Cousinia hermonis and later Dianthus micranthus, Cirsium glomrata, Poa bulbosa & Taeniatherum caput-medusae
phyllocephalum & Cephalaria stellipilis are the preferred (det. Dr Avinoam Danin). In the lab. also Poa annua and
late summer - autumn nectar sources. At the end of June Piptatherum spp. Poa annua is given by Hesselbarth et
2016 gifted Ayala Musery (Zaltzman) photographed a al., (1995).
nectaring pelopea on Centaurea iberica in Mt Hermon
(1800 m) with a red mite on its head - see commensalism © Samir Hamza
of butterflies and mites in Vol I & Benyamini, 2017e. Rated 'LVWULEXWLRQ
(NT) Near Threatened in the Israeli Red List of butterflies
(Renan et al., 2022 (in prep.)). TL: “Monte Libano Syriae prope Arissam” (Lebanon). The
species’ distribution ranges from E Turkey, Caucasus,
Armenia, S Turkey / Hatay, Syria, Lebanon, Israel
%LRORJ\ (Hermon), (absent from Cyprus, Jordan and Sinai), Iraq,
Iran, Azerbeijan and Turkmenistan. Reaching its southern
)OLJKW SHULRG end of May to October flying between 1100- distribution limit in Jebel el Druz S Syria at “Mountains
2050+ m in Mt Hermon, Israel; July 1200-1600 m in eastern of As Suwayda” (Peak over 1600 m – DB)
Adana & May-September 400-1500 m in Gaziantep both S (Tshikolovets & Ben-Yehuda, 2020: 132). Where present in
Turkey (Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): 955-956); May 2010 the Levant, Pseudochazara pelopea is represented by the
at Kirikhan, 300 m Hatay (Atahan pers.comm. to DB); nominotypical ssp., except in Turkey where the following
1545-2602 m in Al-Lazzab reserve Syrian Anti-Lebanon subspecies is found: P. p. persica (Christoph, 1887); TL:
(Zarikian & Ghrejyan, 2018). June-August 1000-3000 m “Schahrud, Nordostiran” – eastern Turkey, including Hatay
in the Caucasus, Armenia & Talish, Azerbeijan (Tuzov et – illustr.
al., 1997: 255). © Shalev Weisman © Moshe Laudon

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