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Melitaea telona Frühstorfer, 1908 Jerusalem Fritillary

A common spring, mostly univoltine, mid-size territorial &RPPHQVDOLVP ZLWK PLWHV sharp-eyed Evyatar Feingold
species that flies along ravines, wadis and paths, alighting (Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Sde-Boker, Israel) who analysed
on the ground, flipping its wings repeatedly to half-open photograįhs from the Facebook of the Israel Lep. Soc.
position. Individuals vary in appearance from dark and and processed them to seasonal records in News of the
#
spotted forms to light with few spots. M. telona has been Isreali Lep. Soc. discovered a phoretic single red mite M. cinxia M. collina
lli
considered a subspecies of M. phoebe. M. ornata was at the base of the left unh of Melitaea telona nectaring
separated from M. phoebe by Varga et al., and by Russell on Vicia palaestina. Boiss. (Photographed by Noam
et al., (both 2005) and in 2016 M. telona became a new Avitsel - illustr. 1). This is the third species of butterfly in
synonym of M. ornata by Russell et al., However, two Israel with such a record; the first being Pseudochazara
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 12 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Magenta
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 12 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Yellow
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 12 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 12 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan
molecular samples, sent by DB, proved that “Surprisingly, telephassa (Benyamini, 2017e) and Maniola telmessia
the Melitaea telona (s.s.) specimens from Israel (its type (Feingold, pers. comm. to DB). Asher (1975: 304 & 312)
locality) are well separated from M. ornata” (Tóth et al., reported 11 species of Nymphalidae with 3 species of
2014 & pers. comm. to DB). Is it because the Israeli (& phoretic mites and identified Trombidiidae sp. as the
M
Jordanian) telonas are on the southern distribution limit phoretic mite of “Melitaea spp.”, he also reported Maniola M. phoebeoebe
of the species? On 20 April 2021 gravid females were jurtina (Satyrinae) with ? Balaustium quisquiliarum,
observed in Wadi Shilo N Beit Arye C Israel searching Trombidiformes – associating mites - see Commensalism
LHPs to lay eggs; they avoided the large LHPs blossoming parag. in Vol I. M. acentria acentria
Centaurea iberica and showed interest in small, young,
first year (biennial) “flat” plants where eggs are laid 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Acanthaceae: Acanthus
below leaves only a few mm over the ground. These are syriacus[?]; Mainly Asteraceae - Carduus argentatus,
the proper plants for their L3 diapausing larvae that will Carthamus tenuis, Centaurea ascalonica, C. crocodylium,
feed on the same plants next spring after waking up from C. cyanoides [L], C. eryngioides, C. hyalolepis, C. iberica,
their overwintering diapause (Benyamini, 2021b). Female Cynara syriaca [?], Notobasis syriaca [?], Scolimus M. telona (complex) )
a
ple
(com
t
e
lona
x
M.
carries the male in cop. - illustr, 7. maculatus [?], Silybum marianum; Dipsaceae - Scabiosa
spp.; Plantaginaceae - Plantago spp. (Benyamini, 2018a).
%LRORJ\ M. acentria arabica n. ssp.
'LVWULEXWLRQ
)OLJKW SHULRG mid-March to mid-July depending on locality TL: Jerusalem, Israel. Distributed in S France, S Italy, S
and altitude: -60 to ~ -250 m bsl in wadis descending to mainland Greece and the Peloponnesus, whole Turkey
the lake of Galilee and the Dead Sea respectively, up to to Armenia, Caucasus, Kazakhstan, N & NE Iraq to
Mt Hermon at 2000 m in Israel; sl to 2000+ m in Lebanon Turkmenistan and Iran to central Asia. The species is
(Larsen, 1974: 123); 100–2100 m in Hatay (Atahan et al., widely distributed in the Levant; Hatay, Syria, Lebanon,
2018: 63); 1545-1678 m (2119-2221 & 2602 m as M. Jordan and Israel reaching its southern limits of M. klili n. sp.
punica?) Al-Lazzab reserve Syrian Anti-Lebanon (Zarikian distribution in the high Negev Mountains west of the
& Ghrejyan, 2018); -220 m bsl to 1100 m in Jordan (Larsen Jordan River (Benyamini, 1990a: 126) and Gebel Rum S
& Nakamura, 1983; Katbeh-Bader et al. 2003). Jordan (Larsen & Nakamura, 1983; DB field notes and
illustr. 2). Absent from Sinai and Cyprus. Graves (1925a)
/LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine*. Tens of eggs are laid in groups described new subsp, dorae from Petra (illustr. 3) based M. israela n. sp.
on the underside of the hostplant’s leaves (10-80 in M. on 13 males and 3 females collected by H. St. J. Philby
ornata, Lafranchis et al. 2015:468) and are yellowish in the last half of March 1922 and 1923, but while the
when laid, 0.7 mm in height, cone-shaped with flat top. ground-colour is “tawny” to “ochraceous-tawny” like
On emerging, the larva is 2 mm long, grey with dark head. normal telona, this “dry form of phoebe…(is) distinguished
Larvae enter a winter diapause after the second moult until by the greatly reduced black marking of the upperside M. arduinna levantina n. ssp.
next spring and feed on the fresh regrowth of the LHP. The from any other race of phoebe”. In a detailed analysis
mature larva is 30 mm in length, grey-black with orange of the extent of black scaling Graves defined “Index of
spines, having pale or black bristles and a diagnostic Nigrescence” and found that its average value for dorae
reddish-brown head from L4 and on (Russell et al., 2007); is 22/80 = 27.5% compared with 30/80 = 37.5% for East
otherwise, it is similar to the larvae of M. phoebe with black Mediterranean telona – illustr. 4. ssp. dorae (ex male
head. The 15 mm long pupa is suspended from a tail pad & female in cop.) from Dana reserve 42 km NNE of its
of silk attached to a twig; it is similar to that of M. syriaca, TL at Petra. DB agrees with Larsen & Nakamura (1983) M. didyma
but with sharper protuberances and larger black marks. and Higgins (1941) who synonymize it with nominotypical
yriac
*-its voltinism is discussed in detail in the next entry - Melitaea klili telona because this light form “is not characteristic of the M. syriacaa
Benyamini n. sp. southern Mediterranean zone (in Jordan) as stipulated
by Graves” and appear in all other Levant’s populations
3DUDVLWRLGV A M. telona larva was found on Centaurea of telona – e.g. N Jerusalem C Israeli plateaux - illustr.
eryngioides in Halukim Ridge, 500 m, Sde-Boker C Negev, 5, and Mt. Hermon 2000 m, illustr. 6. Two species fly in
Israel. Parasitoid cocoons were formed on 24 March 2008 the Levant; M. telona Fruhstorfer, 1908 TL: Jerusalem -
and the wasps, all males, hatched in April 2008 (Evyatar a single brooded sp. that is known from all countries of
Feingold pers. comm. to DB). They were det. as Cotesia the Levant except Cyprus and Sinai (Egypt) and biennial to
cf. acuminata (Reinhard) (Braconidae, Microgastrinae), a triennial M. klili n. sp. Benyamini 2021, TL: Nahal Shezor,
gregarious species which also parasitizes M. phoebe in Karmiel, Israel – Lebanon & Syrian Mediterranean coast M.athalia M.deserticola
Europe (Mark Shaw pers. comm. to DB). and Israel’s lower & central Galilee - see next entry.

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