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Junonia orithya (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue Pansy 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 11 - B | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Cyan

A migrant species that penetrates the Levant from the between 4-6 Sept. 2021 a female was photographed in Mt
Arabian Peninsula in the south and the Tigris & Euphrates Hermon S Anti-Lebanon less than 2.5 km from the Syrian
river basins in the east. Observed locally in oases, usually & Lebanese borders (illustr. 2).
being seen on the ground, feeding on fallen palm dates, -RUGDQ The first specimen in the Palaearctic region
attracted to the weedy Phyla nodiflora LHP & nectar source was observed in the autumn of 1983 at Pella’s ruins
or puddling on sand saturated with donkey urine (Larsen, archaeological site, N Jordan Valley near Tabqet Fahel © Adam Warecki © Adam Warecki
1977b). Flight is rapid, close to the ground and J. orithya (Larsen, 1984c), Bozano (1990) recorded migrating
is a typical territorial species, defending its territory from specimens at Al Mazra’a oasis (-350 m bsl) on 29 April DGXOW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
HJJ
aerial invaders “...during the warmer hours” (Pringle et 1989 inside date plantation on the east coast of the Dead lar v a
pupa
al., 1994: 122). In Neot Smadar territorial males were Sea (illustr.) and Assaf Tsabar photographed a male in 12
observed every 2.5-8 metres (Benyamini, 2017f & pers. October 2015 near water of Wadi Ghuweir ~700 m at the
obs.). The species can produce large populations in a south limit of Dana Reserve, Edom ~ 10 km SSW of Dana
short time, encouraging migration, as in May 1984, when guest house (illustr. & pers. comm. to DB).
a migration was observed in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. Adults
busk with wide flat wings but “disappear” with closed ,VUDHO is both an entry gate and expansion corridors to
wings where its “...fairly unmarked beige underside is a the Eastern Mediterranean region; The first known Israeli © Adam Warecki © Adam Warecki
fine example of camouflage” (Larsen, 1991: 344 & 1984: specimen was collected on 10 November 1985 by Moshe
49). Hiding inside shrubs or tree branches while in cop. Cohen in Paran, S Arava Rift Valley (male). In the city of
female carries the male, but they do not tend to fly together. Arad, NE Negev, a local urban population existed in 1991 Israel, Mt. Hermon, 2814 m, 15.6.1974
Mating last 35-50 minutes (Andre Coetzer, Nancy van der – 1992 using Phyla nodiflora as hostplant.
Poorten, Benny Shalmon & Limor Gefen pers. comms. to Adults migrate northwards along W Arabian coast or
DB). It was assessed as NA (not applicable) for a mix of carried to S Levant by seasonal Red Sea Troughs (RST)
migrants & temporary populations – Renan et al., 2022 tropical storms and since at least 2016 (Lukhtanov et
(in prep.). al., 2016) managed to establish a permanent colony in
Neot Smadar Kibbutz / oasis S Negev. Without external © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
© Adam Warecki
reinforcements by new migrants and due to the small gene
7XUNH\ J. orithya was first reported in the source of the pool of this local population the adults became smaller
Tigris River near Diyarbakir, SE Turkey in October 2010 in time and the inbreeding resulted also in crumpled Israel, Mt. Hermon, 2600 m, 22.6.1974
(Biriçik, 2011 - illustr. 1), and further specimens were specimens. But after arrival of January 2019 jet stream/
seen a year later at the same site. Coincidental with these subsidence to southern Arava the local orithya specimens
sightings, another specimen was photographed by Fatih grew up substantially, possibly due to new arrivals. On 4
Izler in Hatay on the 3rd of September 2011 possibly Sept. 2021 a single migrating female was photographed
arriving through the Euphrates river basin that crosses by Rami Mizrachi in Mt Hermon 1600 m and on 10 Sept. in
C Syria to Gaziantep in S Turkey (Murat Biriçik and Ali the same biotope, DB found two eggs with black caps when
Atahan pers. comms.; www.trakel.org/kelebekler). On 13 L1s were starting to emerge on Plantago lanceolata var.
June 2013 DB and Biriçik visited the Tigris River’s sources atrata. (Mizrachi, 2021, illustr. 2; Benyamini & Laudon,
near Diyarbakir, where Murat last observed adults in 2022 (in prep.)).
2011 & 2012. We found several available hostplants but
no single Blue Pansy; it was possibly too early for this 7KH PHULGLDQ PLJUDQWV
summer visitor that arrived in early September and stayed Turkey, +DWD\ 0W 'D]GDøL P
until early November (Benyamini, 2011c & 2013d). Arriving to S Arava at the northern coast of the Gulf of
Aqaba/Eilat, its expansion northwards splits to: 1) The
/HEDQRQ Lederer (1857: 91) reported a single male near eastern Rift Valley track is marked by six records: Paran
Beirut collected by Franz Zach between July 1853 and (11/1985), Neot Hakikar (12/1992), Hermon 1600 m
August 1854. It appeared in his list as “Vanessa oeone” (9/2021), Wadi Ghuweir mouth (10/2015), Al Mazra’a
= Junonia oenone actually J. orithya. This single and (4/1989) and Pella (10/1983) (the last three are in
important first record to the Levant and possibly to the Jordan) – Fig. 1). Its possibly preferred western short- © Ali Atahan
whole W Palaearctic Region skipped the eyes of all former cut track to the E Mediterranean coast over C Negev
Lebanese researcher. In the 1960’s adults were observed and the C plateaux is listed by nine documented records
in Western Galilee Mediterranean coast a few km south from south to north: Kibbutz Neot Smadar (permanent Turkey, Hatay, over Belen, 1700 m
of the Lebanese border at Naqoura (Benyamini, 1990: population since 4/2016); Nahal Lotz (6/2008) (= Mitspe
(S
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a
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taudin
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u
.
110). On 31 May 2012 a northwards migrating male was Ramon), Arad (1991, 1992), Tel Arad (3/1995), Ein Prat A. u. turcica (Staudinger, 1871)
photographed by Michael Boaz near Tsipori stream N (11/2020), Nahal Tsipori (5/2012), western Galilee
Israel, where it alighted for an overnight stopover en route coast in the 1960’s and Beirut (7/1853 – 8/1854).
to Lebanon, ~ 35 km from S Lebanon border (Benyamini, The 9/2011 record from Hatay belongs to this track.
2012h). The recent early Sept. 2021 record in Mt Hermon (Benyamini, 1990c; 1992e; 2011c; 2012h; 2017g);
1600 m (Israel) is less than 2.5 km away – see next parag. Fisher & Benyamini (1991); Fisher, (1992); Lukhtanov et
al., (2016); Movshovits, (1992); Nadiv, (2017).
6\ULD on its annual summer migration up the Tigris and the The western short-cut local track is preferred by most of
Euphrates Rivers to S Turkey orithya adults cross Eastern the northwards migrants including: Pontia glauconome,
Syria but still without tracing. Larsen’s 1983 record from Anaphaeis aurota, Catopsilia florella, Vanessa cardui,
Pella (Tabqet Fahel) N Jordan is only 28 km south of Junonia hierta and Hypolimnas misippus. The possible
the Yarmuk (Hieromax) River; S Syrian border. However explanations for these two tracks is the use of two © Dubi Benyamini © Yuval Evron
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