by Michael P.T. Gillett
(The following is a report to the membership in the
December 1995 issue of the Newsletter. At the time, he was the group's recording
officer.)
Butterflies and Other Insects in the Al Ain Region September - November 1995
I have been amazed at the variety of wildlife in evidence during the last six
or seven weeks. Quite a variety of herbs and trees have been in flower and the
wealth of insect life associated with this has made the period seem more like
spring than autumn. The most obvious proof of this has been the number of
butterfly records that I have made. During the period in question, I made four
trip to Wadi Aboule (24º27'N 56º04'E), three to Wadi Masah (24º22'N 56º05E'), two
to Wadi Kitnah (24º08'N 56º13'E) and one to Wadi Kutwah (24º15'N 56º08E'). One dry
wadi area (24º23' N55º57'E) near to Mahdah was also visited once. On these trips,
some 25 species of butterfly were recorded which is more than half of all
species known from the UAE and neighboring areas of Oman! It is also probably
that several others have gone unrecorded, since certain pierids (Whites) and
lycaenids (Blues) are impossible to identify on the wing, whilst some of the
smaller Skippers are very unobtrusive and seldom seen. The following table lists
all records for the period including just a few from Al Ain.
Butterfly |
Wadi Aboule |
Wadi Musah |
Wadi Kutwah |
Wadi Kitnah |
Mahdah |
Al Ain |
Lime Butterfly |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Swallowtail |
- |
- |
- |
+ |
- |
- |
Desert White |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
- |
+ |
Caper White |
+ |
+ |
- |
+ |
+ |
- |
Blue Spotted Arab |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Desert Orange Tip |
- |
- |
- |
+ |
+ |
- |
Delmon Arab |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
- |
- |
African Emigrant |
+ |
+ |
- |
+ |
- |
- |
Fig Blue |
- |
- |
- |
+ |
- |
- |
Leopard Butterfly* |
+ |
- |
- |
- |
+ |
- |
Mediterranean Pierrot |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Desert Babul Blue |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Small Cupid |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
- |
- |
Grass Jewel |
- |
- |
- |
+ |
- |
- |
Pea Blue |
+ |
- |
- |
- |
+ |
- |
Plain Tiger |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
Painted Lady |
+ |
+ |
- |
+ |
+ |
- |
Blue Pansy |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
- |
Yellow Pansy ** |
+ |
+ |
- |
+ |
+ |
- |
White Edged
Rock Brown |
+ |
+ |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Baluchi Ringlet ** |
- |
+ |
+ |
- |
- |
- |
Common Three Ring |
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
- |
- |
Giant Skipper * |
+ |
- |
- |
+ |
- |
- |
Desert Grizzled
Skipper |
- |
- |
- |
+ |
- |
- |
Millet Skipper |
+ |
+ |
- |
- |
- |
- |
* New records for Al Ain region |
**Confirmatory records for Al Ain region |
The data clearly show that the wet wadi butterfly faunas are far richer in
species than are the dry wadis or the gardens of Al Ain. However, at certain
times interesting species do occur in al Ain and I can think of at least two
that are not on the above list - the Diadem and the Pomegranate Playboy.
Other insects very much in evidence during the period of this report include
dragonflies and a great variety of grasshoppers. The latter represent a group of
insects, some of them remarkably colorful, which remain almost totally unstudied
within the region. Finally some of the beetles seen on flowering trees have also
been indicators more of spring than of autumn. Two species of large jewel
beetles (Julodis spp) seen on flowering Acacia in Wadis Aboule and Kitnah are
normally present during April and May. A giant oil beetle (Mylabris
maculoventris) is also a rare occurrence in May at flowering plants, but at the
beginning of November, two specimens were taken with the aid of a
lepidopterist's net at Fossil Valley where they were feeding at flowers of
Ziziphus spina-cristi. The rose chafer, Stalagmosoma albella, is also a
springtime beetle, but this year it too has been present in numbers at flowering
trees including Acacia and Ziziphus spina-cristi.
Taken together with observations made during the real spring, the above
records point to 1995 as being quite a successful year for insects in the
region. Certainly it contrasts widely with 1994 which was, of course, dry and
unexceptional from the point of view of wildlife.