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                    Melitaea klili Benyamini, 2021 n.sp.                         Klil Fritillary                                                                                                                                                          21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 12 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan



                    A bi to three-voltine sp. that is confined to wet biotopes   %LRORJ\
                    in coastal plains and river banks of Israel, Lebanon and
                    Syria, where its  Centaurea iberica main host-plant is   )OLJKW  SHULRG  mid-March to early August depending on
                    biennial+, April-August in bloom and green allowing the   locality, up to 250 m (asl) in wadis and rivulets descending
                    species to breed in up to three annual broods. Like M.   to the Mediterranean.                                                                                   © Andre Coetzer
                    telona nominotypical sp. is “a mid-size territorial species
                    that flies along ravines, wadis and paths, alighting on   /LIH KLVWRU\  two or three annual broods. Tens of eggs are                           DGXOW  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11 12
                                                                                                                                              2345
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                    the ground, flipping its wings repeatedly to half-open   laid in groups on the underside of the hostplant’s leaves                 lar v a
                                                                                                                                            pupa
                    position.”                                        and are yellowish when laid, 0.7 mm in height, cone-
                    Since the early 1950’s DB met  M.  telona (for him  M.   shaped with flat top. On emerging after 5-6 days, the                                                    © Steve Collins     © Andre Coetzer     © Dubi Benyamini
                    phoebe) in his home town Haifa; appearing every year   larva is 2 mm long, yellow with two mid-dorsal rows of long
                    in the second week of April on the lower slopes of Mt   black hairs and side rows of white hairs, the heart-shape
                    Carmel; it was a single brooded species that in later years   head is black. They consume the eggshell and sometimes
                    was found in mountains of the Levant from Mt Hermon   other eggshells or nibble un-hatched eggs. Then they
                    (1500-2000+ m) in the north to the C Negev mountains   start nibbling leaf surface creating “windows” until the
                    as far south as Gebel Rum (8.4.2000, 1150 m, leg DB) in   whole leaf is transparent covered with silk threads and
                    S Jordan, only ~ 30 km from the Saudi border. However   frass. 4-4.5 mm long L2 is light brownish-grey, the body is
                    in the end of April 1959 DB found black typical Melitaea   covered with tiny light orang “cones” over white base, long
                    larvae with black heads on large leaf rosette of Acanthus   black hair on top of the cone and white hairs below it and
                    syriacus (Acanthaceae) or Cynara syriaca or Onopordum   black head. 6-7 mm long L3 is black with orange cones,                                                                         © Ofir  Tomer      © Dubi Benyamini
                    carduiforme (both Asteraceae), (no definite det.) in St.   black spines and red head they enter a winter diapause
                    Jean, ruined ex RAF airbase, sl, 5 km N Acre port, 150   after the third moult and hibernate in a silken web at the                                                          1
                    m from the Mediterranean coast-line of N Israel. The   base of the LHP in litter until next spring when they start
                    larvae pupated and between 25-27.5.1959 emerged   feeding on the fresh regrowth of the LHP. The mature L5
                    second brood of M. phoebe-like specimens - (Benyamini,   is 30 mm in length, grey-black with orange spines having
                    1990: 127 lower female). This was the first record of   pale or black bristles, and a diagnostic reddish-brown
                    second brooded Melitaea phoebe/telona in Israel. Fifty   head from L4 and on (Russell et al., 2007); otherwise, it
                    years elapsed before the first observation of the new   is similar to the larvae of M. phoebe with black head. The
                    sp. described below; on 13 June 2009 DB hiked section   15-17 mm long pupa is suspended from a tail pad of silk
                    number ten of Israel National Trail (INT); walking from   attached to a twig; it is similar to that of M. syriaca, but
                    Yiftach’el junction to Nofit along Zippori stream in lower   with sharper protuberances and larger black marks.
                    Galilee near Tabbash-Ka’abiyye village, he observed a
                    telona-like small specimen that was flying off  telona’s   *HQHUDWLRQV          VFKHGXOHV - First generation – from
                    flight period – it was a late second brood specimen of n. sp.   overwintering L3 between 27 Feb. (Lab.) to mid April.                                               Jordan, Edom Wadi Dana 520 m, 17.4.1998  © Leah Benyamini
                    klili and its first observation in the wild. On 26 May 2018   - Second generation were partly offspring of extended                                       “gregarious, blackish with a black mid-dorsal line, transverse bands of
                    DB returned to this biotope to collect adults and eggs for   overwintering L3 or direct offspring of the first brood.                                     tan points, many grey or white branching spines, dark brown beneath,
                    his thorough research on the interesting biology of this   They hatched from 24 May to 11 June. - Third generation                                        prolegs red, head reddish, with two long black branched spines on
                    sp.; possibly not reported before in any other  Melitaea   adults hatched between 20 June until 25 July and only                                          top (head), eat its molts, grow to 48 mm long`. Pupa (20 mm long)
                    sp. – see below. A second population was discovered by   once two pupae hatched on 6 August. The extended period                    3 3                   tan, (or brown with green tint) variegated and streaked with yellowish-
                    Oshri Naparstek who photographed courting of a third-  of the third brood is because their larvae originated from              28.8.1936 leg. Bytinski-Salz  tan, short and thick, with small bumps.” (Scott, 1986: 273). Pupal dry
                                                                                                                                                     Cyprus, Limassol sl
                    brood couple on 29 June 2018 in Nahal Shezor, Karmiel,   three former broods: 1) last year extended diapausing L3.                                        season diapause was reported by Gordon & Smith (2014). Early stages
                    206 m asl  ~20 km NE of the Zippori population (illustr.   2) slow growing larvae of the second brood with partial                                        have not been observed in the Levant, despite the presence of many
                    next page). These two isolated populations are the only   diapause.  3) direct few offspring of the second brood.                                         known hostplants.
                    known in Israel while in Beirut three brooded  phoebe
                    or  klili were reported by Larsen (1974: 123) and the   This prolonged gradual emergence along over 5 months                                              5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV  a polyphagous species:  Acanthaceae – Asystasia,
                    Syrian coastal population near Latakia (Mudar Salimeh’s   from late February to early August is an evolutionary                                           Blepharis, Dyschoriste,  Justicia and  Ruelia spp.; Amaranthaceae
                    website) possibly belong to the same race. Regarding   genetically controlled process that optimize the life cycle                                        -  Amaranthus spp.;  Asteraceae: Ageratum spp.; Convolvulaceae -
                    these broods and rare second brooded telonas reported   of Klili Fritillary with perennial large shrubs of Centaurea                                      Convolvulus and Ipomoea spp.; Crassulaceae - Sedum spp.; Malvaceae
                    off the Mediterranean coast, Larsen & Nakamura, (1983)   iberica n. var. sepphoris Benyamini, 2021 (named after                 Israel, Herzlia sl        -  Abelmoschus, Abutilon, Malva and Hibiscus spp.; Moraceae - Ficus
                                                                                                                                                      29.9.1942
                    opined that they appear “especially near permanent   the archaeological site near Zippori rivulet, C Galilee).                                            spp.; Portulacaceae – Portulaca and Talinum spp.
                    springs. Second and third generation specimens are
                    relatively  uncommon  in  Lebanon. It seems to have a   5HFRUGHG  KRVWSODQWV  known to feed only on biennial+                                             'LVWULEXWLRQ   TL: “America” (Indonesia, Java) wrong locality – see
                    catholic approach to food”. Rated (CR) in the Red Book of   ?  Centaurea iberica (Asteraceae) n. var.  sepphoris                                          Corbet (1949).  The species has a wide Palaeotropical distribution,
                    ,VUDHOL %XWWHUÁLHV  5HQDQ et al., 2022).          (Benyamini, 2021) with pink flowers that grows in                                                       ranging from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, Asia and Australia. The
                                                                      wet biotopes of “coastal” Mediterranean Levant e.g.                                                     species possibly reached the Americas during the slave trade period
                    Melitaea klili n. sp Benyamini, 2021 (Benyamini, 2022b).  “evergreen” banks of Zippori and Shezor rivulets of lower                                       where it became established in Latin America and the West Indies,
                    Holotype male: Nahal Shezor, Karmiel, C Galilee, Israel,   & central Galilee, Israel and grow to 1.5+ m high huge                                         rarely expanding northwards to S Florida. There have been sporadic
                    206 m, 2 July 2018, 3rd brood Leg. DB.            plants. But also on the Lebanese and Syrian similar                                                     records from most countries of the Levant except Syria & Sinai.
                    $OORW\SH  IHPDOH  Nahal Zippori, Tabbash-Ka’abiyye,   biotopes (Larsen, 1974: 123; Mudar Salimeh, Syrian                                                  In W Arabia it was reported in Jeddah/Hadda, Hejaz (Larsen 1983:
                    Lower Galilee, Israel, 90 m, 24 May 2018, 2nd brood, leg.   Butterflies website).                                                                         430 & Pittaway, 1985) but migrants are proceeding (actually blown)
                    Ofir Tomer in Coll. DB.  3DUDW\SHV  see table next page.                                                                            2                     occasionally with RST tropical storms northwards along the Red Sea

                    All the types are in DB’s coll. that was contributed to the                                                                       Lebanon,                and Rift Valley to the Arava in Israel & Jordan. Fly to 3000 m in the
                    Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Tel Aviv University.                                                                         Kfar Aabida, 6.4.2003     Himalaya (Kehimkar, 2008: 410).

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           2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   190                                            12/30/2021   4:29:10 PM  2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   179                                   12/30/2021   4:28:39 PM
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