Ábrahám Levente (szerk.): Válogatott tanulmányok XVIII. - Natura Somogyiensis 34. / Miscellanea 18. (Kaposvár, 2020)

Schmidt P. et al.: A faunistic contribution to the butterfly fauna of Oman (Lepidoptera: Diurna)

Schmidt et al.: A contribution to the butterfly fauna of Oman

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Distribution: It is an Afrotropical species, contrary to the closely related P. demoleus (Linnaeus, 1758), which was also recorded in Oman. P. demodocus is distributed in the whole sub-Saharan Africa, including the majority of Atlantic and Indian Ocean Islands (Williams 2019). It is found also in the coastal zone of the Arabian Peninsula. In Oman, it occurs only in Dhofar, where it is locally common.

Remarks'. Originally, both P. demodocus and P. demoleus were woodland butterflies where they utilized indigenous species of Rutaceae, but both adopted various cultivated Citrus as a larval food plants. As potential pest species, they occasionally cause agricultural damages (Larsen & Larsen 1980). P. demodocus was reported feeding on Haplophyllum tuberculatum (Rutaceae) in its natural habitats in Dhofar (Larsen 1982).

Papilio demoleus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Material examined: 2 exx. / OMAN, Reg. Al Batinah South, Ar Rustaq, / N23°24.903' E57°25.517' 339 m, oasis,/ 16.04.2008 /leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi.

Distribution'. The Lime Swallowtail is a well-known Oriental-lndo-Australian papilionid butterfly, that had three largely disjunct distribution areas from Arabia to Australia, but from the 1950’s it extended its range widely to the whole tropical and subtropical parts of Asia and the Indonesian territories, as it became a renowned economic pest on Citrus and also an invasive species (Larsen & Larsen 1980). In Oman, it can be found in Northern Oman. Currently, the range of P. demoleus does not overlap with that of P. demodocus.

Remarks'. It was introduced to the New World in 2004 (Hispaniola, Dominican Republic (Guerrero 2004)), and was found in South-Portugal in 2012, for the first time on the mainland of Europe (Morgun & Wiemers 2012). The larvae also feed on Citrus on agricultural areas, different Rutaceae and Fabaceae (Australia) in natural circumstances. This species can be found in forests but is normally associated with more open habitats ranging from semi-desert to Acacia scrub, savannah and woodland mosaics, parks and gardens (Guerrero 2004).

Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809 Coeliadinae Evans, 1937

Pyrrhiades anchises jucunda (Butler, 1881) (Fig. 13-14)

Material examined: 1 ex. OMAN, Jabal al Akhdar, 2 km W of Al Ulya N23°l 1.257’ E57°35.527' 763 m rocky wadi with sparse bushy, 16.04.2008 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 2 exx. OMAN, Jabal al Akhdar, Balad Seet, N23°11.794' E57°13.426' 914 m, gorge below the willage with spring and oasis, 17.04.2008 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 1 ex. OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qamar, seashore below Mugurah, N16°45.768' Е53°30.66Г 16 m, 05.10.2009. leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 1 ex. OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qara, W of Al Mughsayl, N16°51.243' E53°43.189' 496 m 07.07.2010 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 2 exx. OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qara, W of Al Mughsayl, N16°51.243' E53°43.189’ 496 m, 06.07.2010 leg. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 1 ex. OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qamar, seashore below Mugurah, N16°45.930' E53°30.81T 42 m, 09.07.2010 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 30 exx. / OMAN, Reg. Al Dakhiliyah / Misfah, Jabal Shams / N23°14.154' E57°08.987' / 1400 m rocky wadi / 05.05.2019 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Költési; 9 exx. / OMAN, Reg. Al Batinah South / Balad Seet / N23°11.794' E57°23.426' / 914 m oasis, spring / 06.05.2019 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Körtési.

Taxonomic note: With its Malagasy relative Pyrrhiades pansa (Hewitson, [1867]), P. anchises for a long time was included in the genus Coeliades Hübner, [1818], but was moved to Pyrrhiades Lindsey & Miller, 1965 by Chiba (2009) in his revision of the