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Nymphalis xanthomelas (Esper, 1781) Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell portulacastrum as its nectar sources and Ruellia
brittoniana (Neotropical Acanthaceae, Mexican
Petunia) as its local hostplant, he also noticed that
A migrant species, rarely seen in the Levant – recorded the Kibbutz gardeners were spraying insecticides
only once in 1894 at “Eibes” (Akbes), Hatay province, S. along internal tracks and in gardens surrounding
Turkey by Haradjian (Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): 1013). buildings to control mosquitos. This activity did not
Inhabits deciduous woodland, orchards and river valleys
# support hierta’s on-going existence and indeed they
and is very similar in appearance to N. polychloros, but hardly survived 2019/20 winter not re-establishing
with slightly more intensely orange-coloured upper sides its population there at least until summer 2021.
and a near-white mark inside the black border at the
forewing apex, similar to that in Aglais urticae. There is -RUGDQ On 17 April 1998 the first Jordanian hierta;
8
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Magenta
9
5
6
7
also a general absence of light markings adjacent to the DGXOW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 a territorial male that was defending its territory at
HJJ
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Yellow
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Cyan
black patch on the discal area of the hindwing upper sides. lar v a Wadi Dana (Lower Dana Reserve, Edom Mt) 580 DGXOW
pupa
4
5
8
1
9
7
6
2
1
01
DGXOW
Palpi and legs are buff-coloured, unlike N. polychloros in HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 m against Melitaea telona Territorial males were HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
lar v a
lar v a
which they are dark brown or black. Female rejects the pupa observed by Ofir Tomer and collected by DB – illusrt. pupa
advance of male by flapping her wings continuously and 3. It happened a few days after the arrival of a Red
raising her abdomen (DB pers. obs.). In the last decade Sea Trough (RST) tropical storm and the blossoming
the species expended in Europe to S Finland and SW Tamarix nilotica trees in the wadi were “covered”
Sweden where it became intermittently resident. In 2014 by hundreds nectaring V. cardui and a few J. hierta
it expanded unprecedentedly westwards to areas never while D. chrysippus and H. misippus (two males and
recorded before; Netherlands, N Belgium and SE U.K.
a female) were flying around. Five weeks later; on 21
May on the west side of Gebel Rum 1085 m, S Jordan,
%LRORJ\ a worn female that arrived with mid April’s RST was 3 2
still alive flying with ~ 50% of its wing’s remains – Jordan, Edom, Dana Reserve, Israel, C Jordan Valley, Tirat Tzvi,
illustr. 4 (Benyamini, 2002a). 580 m, 17.4.1998 -219 m (bsl), 2.6.1994
)OLJKW SHULRG in Europe - May to September.
/HEDQRQ The historic record of its existence near
/LIH KLVWRU\ elsewhere - univoltine. Eggs are laid in large Beirut ca 1914, when a series of migrants were
clusters or piles of 150-200 on young twigs, usually collected by Brother Cremona, is the only record of
close to developing buds. The larvae eclose after 10 its appearance in Lebanon more than 100 years
days, they grow quickly and reach 5th instar after two ago. Larsen (1974: 115 and plate 113) presented a
weeks. Mature larva is largely black, heavily marked worn male of this series in coll. American University
with yellow-white spotting and with long black spines of Beirut (possibly more specimens in coll. Talhouk),
on each segment; head is black and prolegs brown. The and added: “It is not clear if the specimens collected 1 4
pupa is light brown, very similar in appearance to N. in Lebanon were migrants or were accidental S Sinai, Wadi Tlach (W. Itlah), Jordan, Gebel Rum,
polychloros, and suspends similarly by rear cremaster. N. x. fervescens Stichel, 1908 introduction“. However in its 2018’s summer 1400 m, 25.5.74 1085m, 21.5.1998
Adults hibernate in winter to next spring (Warecki, 2010: establishment in Israel it expanded northwards Dry-season migrants
107; Lafranchis et al., 2015: 432)
along E Mediterranean coast and a specimen
was photographed in Haifa N Israel, only 33 km
5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV in Europe: Ulmaceae –Ulmus spp., © Dubi Benyamini off the Lebanese border. It is quite possible, that
Celtis australis; Salicaceae - Salix spp.; Anacardiaceae - the long unstable political situation in S Lebanon,
Pistacia integerrima.
prevents any butterfly scientific research there, thus
overlooking potential hierta migrants’ appearance
'LVWULEXWLRQ along S. Lebanese coast N of Naqoura.
$UDELDQ 3HQLQVXOD Common and permanent in
TL: “Leipzig, Wien”. Distributed from S Finland, E Europe © Adam Warecki © Adam Warecki
and N Greece through C Asia to Siberia, Mongolia, Korea SW Arabian Asir and Yemen to Dhofar; the source
and China to Japan. In S Turkey, N Levant, Transcaucasia, of the Levant’s migrants. Larsen (1982) observed
N Iraq, N Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, N Pakistan, N egg laying on Barleria apressa in Yemen, Pittaway
India, S Tibet, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to (1985) recoded it year round in SW/W Arabia and
S and E Kazakhstan as N. x. fervescens (Stichel, 1908) added Blepharis ciliaris to its LHP’s list. Hierta’s
(Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): 1013; Bozano & Floriani, smaller distribution than J. orithya in the peninsula
2012: 12). is possibly because it “does not appear to have
adapted to oasis conditions as successfully as the
other species (orithya)” (Larsen, 1983: 428).
© Adam Warecki © Adam Warecki African wet-season specimens
Flight is rapid, close to the ground and difficult to
follow. When at rest on the ground with wings closed, J. h. cebrene Trimen, 1870
the neutral underside wing coloration ensures J.
hierta is well camouflaged, but when it basks with flat
open wings its black-yellow typical warning coloration
seems to be highly effective against predators. The
male shows typical territorial behaviour, chasing
off intruders before returning to its territory, often
a patch of gravelly ground at the bottom of a wadi.
© Dubi Benyamini © leah Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
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