The arrival of Papilio demoleus Linnaeus, 1758 in Cyprus in 2021 signalled the species' first appearance in a country of the European Union attributable to range expansion from mainland coastal regions to the east, rather than by human-mediated activity. Molecular work on the Cyprus taxon has shown this to belong to nominotypical P. demoleus demoleus, matching exactly results of similar work carried out on specimens from Mediterranean Syria. Breeding of Papilio demoleus on three species of Citrus at various urban locations in Cyprus has been confirmed, and from which observations it is apparent that two broods were achieved in late summer/autumn of 2021. As has been the experience in neighbouring Mediterranean Turkey and Syria, overwintering success is thought likely.

In recent decades, the introduced lycaenid Cacyreus marshalli has received much attention because of the damage caused to ornamental species of Geranium and Pelargonium following the species' rapid spread from Mallorca to many other areas of the Mediterranean and to mainland Europe. Concerns have been expressed that native Geraniaceae and those lepidopteran species using these as hostplants, might be at some risk. In this paper, we demonstrate further range expansion in the eastern Mediterranean countries of Greece and Turkey, note that little if any evidence is available to indicate any threat to native Geraniaceae and, perhaps for the first time, consider that the damage now being caused has fallen to acceptable levels. Taken together, current experience appears to imply that C. marshalli might soon become regarded as a welcome addition to the Palaearctic fauna.

Recent years have witnessed considerable range expansion of the migratory Indo-Australian papilionid Papilio demoleus Linnaeus, 1758 from the Gulf States. Following dispersal / migration into central Syria, a rapid and extensive colonisation of the eastern Mediterranean coastlines of Syria soon ensued, with penetration into neighbouring regions of Turkey and Lebanon. Further westward spread had been anticipated and here we report on the species' first appearance in Cyprus. We hypothesise that westward trans-Mediterranean migration brought small numbers of immigrants to the island, and from the pristine nature of the individuals, it is considered that those seen in August 2021 were the progeny of an earlier, unnoticed migration. We also record the Levant's first known example of marine puddling by P. demoleus.

No abstract

In recent decades Cacyreus marshalli, an introduced alien lycaenid, has attracted attention due to its rapid spread throughout much of the Mediterranean and into mainland Europe. C.marshalli and more recently Papilio demoleus are invasive butterfly species actively expanding their ranges in the Mediterranean basin in recent years. In 2018, the authors participated in a paper describing the range expansion of C. marshalli in Greece and Turkey, since when the species has established a significant presence in İstanbul, in contrast to our expectations of eastward dispersal along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Here, we discuss the present status of C. marshalli in Turkey and consider the direction of possible future range extension.