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)
168 Natura Somogyiensis Remarks'. In Dhofar, it is local, not so common. The host plants are probably Kickxia species (Larsen & Larsen 1980). The taxonomy status of this species is rather problematic. The populations in the Middle East and Arabia are considered a different subspecies, M. deserticola macromaculata Belter, 1934 but even the Omani and Yemeni populations are sometimes also reckoned to belong to other subspecies, M. deserticola scotti Higgins, 1941. To make the case even interesting, the southwestern Arabian populations were thought to belong to M. abyssinica Oberthür 1909 for a long time (Larsen & Larsen 1980, Larsen 1982). Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) Material examined: 3 exx. / OMAN, Reg. A1 Dakhiliyah / Misfah, Jabal Shams / N23°14.154' E57°08.987' / 1400 m rocky wadi / 05.05.2019. / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Költési; 2 exx. / OMAN, Reg. A1 Batinah South/Balad Seet/N23° 11.794' E57°23.426' / 914 m oasis, spring/06.05.2019/leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Körtési. Distribution: The Painted Lady is a cosmopolitan butterfly. It is one of the most widespread insects of the world: it ranges all continent, excepting Antarctica, though it is very limited in Australia (only the southwestern coastal area) and South-America (only in Venezuela) (Tshikolovets 2011). It is a great flier and an exceptional migrant species, that can reach enormous territories of the world. Although, in Europe, it can breed and survive the winter only in the Mediterranean Region and North Africa, where the butterflies populate the continent every year. In the Arabian Peninsula, the case is exactly the opposite: they can breed permanently only in the more temperate areas. In Oman, it is a rather scarce butterfly, but the abundance of it strongly depends on the weather conditions and the migration waves. Remarks'. The larvae feed on different Carduus, Cirsium, Urtica, and Malvae species, depending on the territory, in Oman, mostly Carduus and Malvae (Larsen & Larsen 1980). Biblidinae Boisduval, 1833 Byblia ilithyia (Drury, 1773) (Figs. 20-21) Material examined: 1 ex. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qara, W of AI Mughsayl, N16°51.824' E53°43.217' 76 m 13.10.2009 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 1 ex. OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qara, W of Al Mughsayl, N16°51.243' E53°43.149' 496 m, grassy escarpment with many shrubs above the high road, 13.10.2009 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 1 ex. OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qara, W of Al Mughsayl, N16°50.450' E53°41.648' 644 m, grassy hillside, 07.07.2010 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 1 ex. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qamar / seashore below Mugurah, 42 m / N16°45.550' E53°30.811' / 09.07.2010 / leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 2 exx. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar / 11 km W of Al Mughsayl / N16°50.535' E53°43.349' 50 m, foothill, bushy / 29.10.2018 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 3 exx. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar / 3 km W of Rakhyuth / N16°45.225' E53°23.905' / 36 m, wadi / 31.10.2018 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky; 1 ex. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar /18 km from roadside between Sadah and Mirbat / N17°9.542' E54°52.774' / 529 m dry rocky vegetation / 02.11.2018 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky; 1 ex. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar / Wadi Shaboun / N17°32.83’ E54°38.78' / 386 m dry forest / 01.05.2019 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Körtési. Distribution: The Joker occurs in dry habitats of sub-Saharan Africa, in southwestern Arabia, and also in the western part of India, including Sri Lanka. A closely related taxon, B. anvatara acheloia (Wallengren, 1857) can be found also in Arabia, but it was recorded only in Yemen and Saudi Arabia (south-west) (Larsen 1982). B. ilithyia has stable populations in Dhofar, but seems to be absent in other regions of Oman.
