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)
160 Natura Somogyiensis Coeliadinae subfamily, based on morphological characters, including antennal length, wing venation and male genitalia. Distribution: P. anchises anchises (Gerstaecker, 1871) can be found sporadically in Southern and Eastern Africa, also reported from Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. The population of this characteristic butterfly on the Island of Socotra differs from the African ones and is considered as a distinct, endemic subspecies jucunda Butler, 1881. The same subspecies was reported also from southern Oman (Larsen & Larsen 1980, Larsen 1984), however, according to Steve Collins (pers.comm.) these more jucundalooking specimens could be a result of historic interbreeding between the Southern Arabian P anchises anchises and specimens of P. anchises jucunda occasionally blown over from Socotra, where the latter is generally very common. Remarks: Currently, the taxon is treated as endemic subspecies of Oman and Socotra. It flies extremely fast, similar to other skippers, in relatively low altitude of the mountainous wadis of Northern Oman. In the Arabian Peninsula, the larvae feed on Acridocarpus orientalis. Specimens could be most easily observed around the blooming food plants, where they spend hours feeding on nectar, particularly at dusk and at dawn. During the day, male specimens could be seen mud-puddling in wadis, along small creeks. According to the sampled specimens, the imagoes are on the wing between April and July. Pyrginae Burmeister, 1878 Sarangesa phidyle (Walker, 1870) Material examined. 1 ex. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar/3 km Wof Rakhyuth/N16°45.225' E53°23.9057 36 m wadi / 31.10.2018 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky; 1 ex. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar / 20 km W of A1 Mughsayl / N16°50.05 Г E53°42,552' / 34 m seashore, dry rocky vegetation / 01.11.2018 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky. Distribution: The Small Elfin is distributed in most parts of southern and southwestern Africa, in northwestern Africa, and it is also present in drier savannah habitats across sub-Saharan Africa. It reaches the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, Yemen) as well. Remarks: It is obviously the most widely distributed species of the Sarangesa genus, also the only that occurs in Arabia. In Oman, it is widespread but quite local in Dhofar, it was found only in the narrow, coastal zone. The larvae feed on different Acanthaceae species (Larsen & Larsen 1980). According to the samples collected, the imagos fly during autumn (October-November). Nymphalidae Rafmesque 1815 Danainae Boisduval, 1833 Danaus Chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Figs. 15-16) Material examined. 1 ex. / OMAN, Reg. A1 Batinah South, Ar Rustaq/N23°24.003' E57°25.517' 339 m, oasis/ 16.04.2008 / leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 2 exx. OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, Jabal al Qamar, below Mugurah, N16°45.768' Е53°30.66Г seashore, 16 m, 15-16.10.2009. leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 1 ex. OMAN, Jabal al Akhdar, Balad Seet, N23°11.794' E57°23.476' 914 m, rocky gorge below the village, spring, oasis, 17.04.2009 leg. S. Ilniczky, S. J. Simonyi; 18 exx. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar, / 2 km E of Rakhyuth /N16°44.968' E53°26.256' / 22 m, seashore /31.10.2018 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky; 3 exx. / OMAN, Gov. Dhofar/ 7 km W of Mirbat / N17-01.578' E54°39.322' / 31 m seashore, sand dunes / 30.04.2019 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Körtési; 14 exx. / OMAN, Reg. Al Batinah South / Balad Seet/N23°l 1.794' E57°23.426' / 914 m oasis, spring / 06.05.2019 / leg. L. Ábrahám, S. Ilniczky, G. Körtési.
