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)
180 Natura Somogyiensis Remarks: It prefers dry stony areas with sparse vegetation, also near cultivated fields. In Arabia, the host plants are Heliotropium and lndigofera, in Europe mostly Heliotropium hirsutissimum, Andrachne telephioides (Tshikolovets 2011). Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767) Material examined: 3 exx. / OMAN Gov. Dhofar / Wadi Shaboun / N17°32.83’ E54°38.78' / 386 m, dry forest / 01.05.2019 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Költési. Distribution: It is distributed in the whole Old World, in the subtropical and tropical zones of Africa, Asia, Indo-China, Australia, also introduced to Hawaii (Lohman et al 2008). It has strong migratory tendencies, so it sometimes wanders up from the Mediterranean coast to the line of the southern coasts of the British Isles, to northern France, to Slovakia, and to the South Urals (Tshikolovets 2011). In Oman, it can be found almost everywhere. Remarks: It is a rather common species in all parts of Oman. The host plants are different Fabaceae: Colutea, Crotalaria, Cytisus, Lathyrus in Europe (Tshikolovets 2011), mainly Sesbania, Tavemiera and Medicago species in Arabia. The larvae also feed on cultivated pea species, occasionally causing agricultural damages (Larsen & Larsen 1980). Leptotespirithous (Linnaeus, 1758) Material examined: 8 exx. / OMAN Reg. Al Batinah South, N of Hubrah N13°29.005' E57°49.988' 194 m, oasis, 11.10.2009 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 2 exx. / 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: A pan-African migratory species, which could be found in all kinds of habitat across the continent (Larsen 2005). It is a rare migrant in most of Western and Central Europe, however, permanent and semi-permanent colonies could be found in the Mediterranean coast in Europe and Turkey, distributed across the Middle East, in the Arabian Peninsula to the Indian subcontinent (Tshikolovets 2011). It was first recorded in 1977 from the Dhofar Region (Larsen 1977). Remarks: It is a rather local species in Dhofar. The main hostplants are Leguminosae (lndigofera, Rynchosia, Vigna, Melilotus) (Larsen & Larsen 1980). Tarucus rosaceus (Austaut, 1885) Material examined: 12 exx. Oman, Jabal al Akhdar, Wadi Tanuf, N23°04.564' E57°29.736' 768 m, rocky gorge with sparse grove and shrubs, 29.04.2008 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 2 exx. OMAN, Reg. Al Batinah South, N of Hubrah, N23°29.005' E57°49.988’ 194 m, oasis 11.10.2009 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 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. Distribution: Its range covers the northern coastal parts of Africa, also arid areas in the sub-Saharan part of the continent. The butterfly flies also in the Arabian Peninsula, through the Middle East to Pakistan. It can be found throughout Oman. Remarks'. The host plants are different Zizyphus species, such as Z. lotus, Z. spinachristi, Z. jujuba. Two further Taurucus species occurs also in Oman: T. balkanicus and T. theophrastus, all are closely related and very similar. T. rosaceus is a most common one, while T. theophrastus is known in a single population from Dhofar (Larsen & Larsen 1980).
