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Tribe Melitaeini Newman, 1870  Fritillaries, Checkerspots and Crescentspots                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 12 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan   #21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 2


 Medium to small size butterflies, mostly of orange and black coloration. Adults of first brood in polyvoltine species are always
 larger than later broods that may produce very small adults, smaller in size than large Lycaenids – e.g. Melitaea syriaca – illustr.
 Consist of 20-25 genera divided to five sub-tribes: Euphydryina, Melitaeina, Chlosynina, Gnathotrichina and Phyciodina that are   © Dubi  Benyamini  © Dubi  Benyamini
 distributed in the Holarctic and Neotropical regions (with a few exceptions) (Long et al., 2014).

 One genus is present in the Levant: Melitaea )DEULFLXV      , which is the largest Nymphalid genus in the Levant with 11 (12?)
 species.

 The known secondary chemistry is the same as for Centaurea solstitialis, which Melitaea’s larvae eat. The active principle is
 either a weird molecule: 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-(H)-pyran-4, called DDMP for short, or a sesquiterpene lactone called repin.
              DGXOW
                                DGXOW
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                  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12


                  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  1
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 The literature is contradictory; Both plants act as cumulative neurotoxins when ingested by horses, causing facial paralysis                         HJJ  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12

              HJJ

                       lar v a v  a
             lar

 ultimately leading to death by starvation. Only horses are affected, which is in itself very weird.  Both plants are eaten by Vanessa            pupa  ©  Dubi Benyamini  © Dubi Benyamini
           pupa


 cardui larvae with no problems. Shapiro  (pers. comm.).                              “M. t. dorae” Mt. Hermon, 2000 m,
                                                                                            26.5.2007    6
 Variations (abberations): common in Levant’s Melitaea spp. more than in any other Nymphalid genus. Geographic variations
 in Mt Hermon or the central plateaux may be locally common – three striking samples of new Melitaea telona aberrations are                                                                                                                                      12
 illustr. – see Vol I for Variations, Aberrations and Forms.  1
 M.syriaca  Iolana alfierii  M.didyma   Lysandra amanda  M.phoebe  Haifa, Mt. Carmel,   Mt. Hermon, 1600 m,
                                           Hermon
                                        Mt
                                                     m
                                                 1
                                                  600
               150 m, 12.4.1960             28.5.1976
                                                                             © Dubi Benyamini      © Dubi Benyamini
                      2
                                                                                       “M. t. dorae” Mt. Hermon, 1780 m, 9.4.2007
 Small summer brood Melitaea spp. compared to large Lycaenids  (scale 1:1)
                C Negev, Nahal Elot,   Samaria Desert, Kohav HaShahar,
                 800 m, 10.3.2007        520 m, 4.3.2018
 9DULDWLRQV  DEEHUDWLRQV  RI Melitaea VSS   M. telona
                                                                                ‹ 2ÀU 7RPHU           © Stav Talal
                                                               a phoretic single red mite
                             3                  3
                   Transjordan, Edom,  (Petra), 25.3.1923, leg J. Philby
                  © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, License 4.0,
                      (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
 © Bar Shani-Segev  © Bar Shani-Segev  © Ilias Abai                                   Ļ
 Melitaea telona Q  DE  shani-segev  Benyamini, 2021  Melitaea telona VOLJKWO\ DE           Ļ
                                                              1
                     4                        4                                                     © Noam Avitsel
                   Jordan, Edom, Wadi Dana, 485 m, 27.3.1999, in cop.  7         Mt. Hermon, 1600 m, 12.5.2009
                     5                       2
            Wadi Salim, N Jerusalem 2.4.1975  S Jordan,Gebel Rum, 1100 m, 8.4.2000
                      "M. t. dorae"  syn. of M. telona
 M. telona Q  DE  singularis   M. telona Q  DE  tomer   M. deserticola Q  DE  uri-caspi   M.cinxia DE  horvathi
 Benyamini, 2021. Mt. Hermon 1650 m   Benyamini, 2021  Benyamini, 2021. Israel, N Jerusalem,  Aigner, 1908, Mt. Hermon,  1850 m
 31.5.1979 leg. Dubi Benyamini  Israel, Ayalon Forest  1.5.2008   wadi Salim  3.4.1982 leg. Uri Caspi   26.4.2021 leg. Ilias Abai  © Dubi Benyamini  © Dubi Benyamini
 leg. Ofir Tomer
 180                                                                                                          189
 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   180  12/30/2021   4:28:43 PM  2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   189  12/30/2021   4:29:10 PM
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