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Aglais urticae (Linnaeus, 1758) Small Tortoiseshell different compass systems by the migrants – see Fig. 1: The

eastern track at azimuth 10.02° is 5.42° east of the magnetic 0° 4.6°
meridian and its migrants use magnetic compass. The western
Possibly the most common nymphalid in Europe, %LRORJ\ track at azimuth 2.49° is east of the geographic meridian and
expanded northwards into the Arctic Circle and flying its migrants use dual sun-compass systems. In both tracks there 10.02°
even in warm days of mid-winters. Reaching its southern )OLJKW SHULRG April to early August, 1600-2814 m in are easterly different yet unexplained drifts from the meridians.
distribution limit in Mt Hermon, southern peak of the Mt Hermon, Israel; 1400-2090 m June-August in Hatay DB suggests two solutions: 1) The permanent westerly winds
Anti-Lebanon Range where it is a rare June visitor to (Atahan et al., 2018: 50; Benyamini, 2001c & Uçkoz 24 coming from the Mediterranean Sea, “push” the migrants 2.49°
the local peaks at 2000-2300 m; the absence of its June 2014, 2090 m Hatay-Osmaniye border pers. obs.); eastwards. 2) The Curiolis effect that combine the butterfly Ļ
LHP Urtica spp. and relatively too high temperatures End of April to the end of August 800-2300+ m in Lebanon velocity northwards with sensing the rotation of the globe induce *HRJUDSKLF PHULGLDQ
prevent its breeding there. However, Larsen (1974: 118) (Larsen, 1974; 118); 1545-2602 m at Al-Lazzab reserve an eastern side-power that “push” the migrants off its northern Ļ
reported breeding populations in mid-June, at the Cedar Syrian Anti-Lebanon (Zarikian & Ghrejyan, 2018). tracks - see Fig. 2. Finally both tracks meet and coinside on the
Mountains 2100 m and at “Gabal Kesrouan..1700 m… coast around Beirut where several historical rare migrants were
on 30 August” (both Mt Lebanon Range – DB) but did not /LIH KLVWRU\ HOVHZKHUH univoltine to trivoltine. The recorded. All migrants of both tracks fly northwards in spring
specify its hostplant. However when he bred it in Beirut species’ life-history in Europe is well documented. Eggs possibly by genetically-induced “instructions” and in the autumn 0DJQHWLF PHULGLDQ
in “sultry autumn months” he did not use the “small are laid in large batches of 30-200 at the under surface fly southwards to their overwintering sites.
coastal nettle” but fed them successfully with “mountain of the hostplant’s youngest leaves, average total of 300
nettles” (Urtica gracilenta known as mountain nettle is eggs are laid by each female. The eggs are yellow with (J\SW 6LQDL while J. hierta is a regular visitor J. orithya has
a native species to N America N of Mexico...? however 7-10 vertical ribs. L1 hatches after 1-3 weeks, is 1.3 mm never been recorded there. However ‘Junonia boopis, Trimen (= J.
these were certainly the common U. dioica as no other in length, light brown with a black head. At maturity, the o. madagascariensis, Guenée)” a syn of J. orithya was recorded
Urtica sp. in known from the upper Lebanese mountains larva is 22 mm long, with colour varying from pale yellow in two places along Sudanese White Nile by Longstaff (1912) who :HVWHUQ WUDFN
– Dr. Ori Fragman-Sapir, Jerusalem university botanical to black, and its body covered with yellow spines. Larvae added that “this species is not so widely distributed”, possibly /RFDO 0HULGLDQ Ļ
gardens pers. comm. to DB). A known hilltopping & are gregarious, living communally in webs and moving explaining why it did not expand further north to Egypt. During
permanent migratory species, much commoner in the en masse to neighbouring hostplants. Prior to pupation, three and a half years in the early 1920’s it was not recorded &RUULGRU Ļ
northern part of its range, where it is a frequent visitor the mature larvae leave the hostplant and may disperse in Aswan, Upper Egypt by Captain Kenneth Hayward (UK) who (DVWHUQ WUDFN
to gardens in search of nectar. On 15 June 1974 DB over tens of metres in their search for a pupation site. “presumed” to be “the first person” to collect there (Hayward,
visited the peak of Mt Hermon (2814 m), observed about The suspended pupa is 20 mm long, gold or brown with 1925). Indeed Larsen (1990: 67) put it in the list of “species 5LIW 9DOOH\
eight hilltopping males (one illustr.) and a week later on golden spots, depending on the pupation site, emerges that might possibly occur in Egypt / surprising absentees” and
22 June 1974 visited it again, observed tree males at after 8-28 days pending external temperature. The adult added that “It should reach Egypt from time to time either in the &RUULGRU
the peak and collected one female in 2600 m possibly hibernates during winter, often emerging briefly on sunny Arabian ssp. or in the African ssp. madagascariensis Guenée”.
marking the upper limit of nettle growth in the Anti- days (Lafranchis et al., 2015: 434-437).
Lebanon range (illustr.). A few days later this strategic $UDELD “…one of the most common and widely distributed of all
zone exchanged hands from IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Urticaceae - Urtica dioica and the Arabian (butterfly) species..under both natural conditions and
to the UN disengagement observer forces (UNDOF) that probably other Urtica species. in oases and can manage in very arid areas”, but not recorded
control this separation area between Lebanon, Syria from coastal NW Hejaz possibly due to insufficient sampling. Neot Smadar
and Israel to present. Overwintering specimens migrate J. o. cheesmani Riley, 1925 is restricted to Eastern Arabian Al-
to lower and warmer biotopes and were regularly 'LVWULEXWLRQ Hassa Oasis and Bahrain (Larsen, 1983: 426; Pittaway, 1985).
observed from early autumns in Greece (John Coutsis
pers. obs, & comm. to DB). Males are territorial around TL: Sweden. The species’ distribution ranges over all 1RUWKZDUGV orithya
hostplants, intercepting intruding congener males in of Europe to the northern cape (latitude 70°), Turkey, 1
characteristic spiralling flights, receptive female is Syria, Lebanon, Israel (Hermon), (absent from Cyprus, Ļ PLJUDWLRQ DORQJ ZHVW
approached behind by the male who drums her rear Jordan and Sinai), Russia, Siberia, the Himalayan range $UDELDQ &RDVW
wings with his antennae, the courting proceeds in late to China and Korea. The species reaches its southern Ļ Ļ
afternoon when the female enters a nettle patch and limit of distribution at the southern edge of the Anti-
if the male does not lose her they will mate the whole Lebanon Range at Mt. Hermon. One ssp. flies in the
night under a nettle leaf. (Lafranchis et al., 2015: 434). Levant: Aglais urticae turcica Staudinger, 1871; TL: S
On 3 August 2017 a specimen landed for nectaring on Balkan Peninsula, is lighter and less punctuated than Ļ
Cotoneaster racemiflorus (Rosaceae) near Mt Hermon the European nominotypical species. Larsen (1974:
cable-car ski station at 1600 m, the lowest record of 118) emphasized that turcica is a good ssp. and
A. urticae in Israel (ILS data bank & Galit Moshe pers. wrote: “..turcica is no simple ecomorph, as specimens )LJ - Junonia orithya - The Meridian migrant in the Levant.
comm. to DB). While its numbers reduced drastically in reared from larvae in Beirut (sea level – DB) retain the legend: Entry point from W Arabian Coast at Aqaba -
Europe and are in “worrying declines in some years” in distinguishing characters.” © Murnt Biricik © Dubi Benyamini Western records - Eastern records -
the UK (Eeles, 2019: 253), possibly following the arrival
of the tachinid fly Sturmia bella in 1998 from Europe, 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
where up to 65% of the larvae were infected in France Ļ
(Lafranchis et al., 2015: 434-435). On 10 July 2019 V_N
on the bank of the river Irwell in Salford, UK an inter- a_C
generic courting of male Pyronia tithonus and female A.
urticae was observed by Hardy (2019); when the male )LJ -
The Curiolis force (a_C)
approached the female she “closed its wings and turned Ļ that “push” eastwards
sideways on to the grass and adopted a pose known Ƶ Ƹ the northwards migrants
(V_N).
as tonic immobility…the initial stages of thanatosis”. In
the Israeli red list of butterflies A. urticae is rated as
Not Applicable (NA) - no breeding population in Israel
(Renan et al. 2022 (in prep.))
DB& Ƹ VLQ Ƶ 9B1
© Ali Atahan © Rami Mizrachi © Shalev Weisman

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