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 Melitaea didyma  (Esper, 1778)               Spotted Fritillary  :LQJVSDQV   The average wing-span of the three               21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 13 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:18 | SR:-- | Cyan
                                                                main populations in Galilee, N Samaria and S
                                                                Samaria desert revealed no substantial differences
 M.  didyma, in its ssp. libanotica Belter, 1934, together   at HaTanur, N Israel, gregarious yellow parasitoid   – see table 1.  Males * 35.3 - 43.5 mm (n=27) are on
 with M. acentria Lukhtanov, 2017 (that replaced M. persea   larvae, probably  Cotesia lycophron (Nixon) (Braconidae:   the average smaller than the females ** 39.4 – 48.1
 Kollar, 1849 /  M.  montium Belter, 1934 in the Levant)   Microgastrinae), erupted and spun white cocoons.   mm (n=26) by 3.95 mm.
 and  M.  israela n. sp. Benyamini, Tomer & Coutsis 2021   Some days later, adults of  Catolaccus craticeps (Masi)
 (present book) belongs to the didyma species-complex   (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) emerged from these   &RORXUV  Graves (1925a) described the colour of
 (didyma super-species), a group of closely related taxa   cocoons. A female of  C.  craticeps must have accessed
 recently and still in isolation & speciation process in their   the Cotesia cocoons and oviposited into them (thus being
 southern ecotone / distribution limit in the Levant. Some   a pseudohyperparasitoid with respect to  M.  didyma).
 researchers regard them as fully separated species while   Twenty one  M.  didyma caterpillars pupated successfully,
 others see them as subspecies of M. didyma. M. didyma   but four of the pupae (19%) did not produce adults but
                                DGXOW                           7DEOH    Average wingspans of Israeli Melitaea arduinna in its three known biotopes [mm].
                                                        2
                                                        2
                                                 0
                                                     1  12
                                                1
                                                1
                                                     1
                                                    1
                                                    1
                                                     1
                                                       1
                                   6    7    8    9   10  1
                                5
                                5
                                   6
                                      7
                                   6
                                   6
                  1
                                          8
                                                       1
                     2
                            4
                            4
                         3
                                                 0
                                          8
                                      7
                                             9
                                             9
 libanotica is a local species in our area resembling  M.   instead darkened in the head and thoracic region, and                         HJJ  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12  *- Smallest male 35. 3 mm – Tsfat. Largest male 43.5 mm Aviv stream.
                       lar v a
 syriaca Rebel, 1905, but differing by lack of black spots   three days later solitary larvae of a parasitoid Tachinidae            pupa  **-Smallest female 39.4 mm - Rosh-Pina. Largest female 48.1 mm Kohav HaShahar
 forming an arc at the junction of the discal and postdiscal   (Diptera) erupted from each. These were probably
 areas on the hindwing upper side. Individuals may vary in   Erycia sp. (Eryciini) that are all specialist parasitoids of
 colour from deep to light orange, as well as in the density   Melitaeinae. In SW Europe another  Cotesia species,  C.
 of black spots, often being almost spotless. The lighter   hispanica (Oltra & Falco), has been described (Oltra  et
 forms resemble M. acentria. It appears that in N Israel and   al., 1996; as Protapanteles) as a parasitoid of M. didyma,
 the southern Anti-Lebanon/Mt Hermon range  M.  didyma   and is common in that area. Benjaminia fumigator Aubert   7DEOH    (modified Table 1 of Benyamini & Russell, 2019) – Wingspans of male M. arduinna from
 does not fly together in the same biotopes with M. acentria   (Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae) is a local parasitoid of   Russia, Greece & Israel (n = number in sample, wingspans in mm). The minimum Israeli mean
                                                                male wingspan is closer to the Russian nominotypical ssp., while the maximum is closer to the
 and M. israela and that the three of them do not share the   M.  didyma in S. France (Shaw, 1977). In Poland a pupal   Grecian ssp. rhodopensis and the mean (average) is closer to the Russian value.
 same LHPs. Specimens of the first (spring) brood are larger   parasitoid Brachymeria femorata (Chalcididae) (det. Dick   Holoptype (01)  Allotype (12)  “The freshest female…taken…on the Jebel Suwada
 than those of the summer broods. Female carries the male   Askew) hatched from a wild collected pupa of M. didyma   nr. Salt, Transjordania (as)..nearly answering to
 in cop. (Lafranchis et al., 2015: 474).  (Adam Warecki pers, comm. to DB). (This parag. was edited      Ridgway’s “orange cinnamon” (“Colour Standards,
 Rated as EN (Endangered) in the Israeli red list of butterflies   by Mark Shaw in pers. comm. to DB).  Melitaea arduinna levantina n. ssp. Benyamini & Russell 2021  Pl. XXIX).”. OT picked up the darkest and lightest
 (Renan et al., 2022 (in prep.))                                 specimens in DB collection (n=53) and found that
 5HFRUGHG  KRVWSODQWV  LQ  WKH  /HYDQW  Scrophulariaceae         the darkest orange appeared in a male with Raw
 -  Anarrhinum orientalis [Larsen, 1974: 125 (Lebanon);          Sien-Nap+ (Pl. 13 L10 *) and the lightest orange a
 %LRORJ\  Antirrhinum majus [M] Benyamini, 2010a: 130 (Israel).    female near Yucatan Cathay-Mexican+  French Y (Pl.
                                                                 12 K9 *) – both illustr.
 )OLJKW  SHULRG  March to September, 300-800 m in Israel         *- colours per Maerz and Paul Dictionary of Color (1950).
 (Benyamini, 2010a: 130 & field notes); May, July, sl-1200+   'LVWULEXWLRQ
 m in Lebanon where it may overlap with M. acentria (ex M.       Since its discovery in Israel in 1980 DB and his
 persea) or even with M. israela (Larsen, 1974: 124-125);   TL: Uffenheim, Bavaria (Germany). Distributed from the   Israel, Mt. Amiad, Bred. D. Benyamini,   colleagues observed, photographed, collected and
 May-July, sl-1400 m (Mudar Salimne Syrian butterflies web   Atlas Mts. of N Africa to S and C Europe, and eastward to   slightly ab.    bred thousands of specimens from all three main
 site – last accessed 26 April 2021); May, 650-1250 m W   Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, N Israel (absent from Cyprus, Jordan   “Normal” European females  populations in the Galilee, N Samaria and S Samaria
 & S Syria (Sanetra, 1999); April-end of June, 900-1400   and Sinai), to Russia and C Asia. Several spp. & sspp. have   but never recorded even one dark local female,
 m, W & S Syria (ten Hagen, 1996 & 1998*; ten Hagen &   been described from the Levant; two that are accepted by   thus substantiating the decision to describe it as
 Eckweiler, 2000; ten Hagen pers. comm. to DB); 1545-  us (Benyamini, Tomer, Pittaway & Coutsis) appear in this   a new southern ssp. of  Melitaea arduinna – see
 1678 m in Al-Lazzab reserve Syrian Anti-Lebanon (Zarikian   Vol III, others appear to be synonyms:  Melitaea didyma   figs of dark European females for comparison with
 & Ghrejyan, 2018). (*- the Joubbe end of June, 1900 m   didyma (Esper, [1778]); TL: Uffenheim, Bavaria (Germany)   various Levantine specimens from the lightest to the
 record is suspected to be the new species M. israela)   – S Turkey.  Melitaea didyma  libanotica Belter, 1934; TL:   darkest.
 Bcharré, Kanisah, Zahalta, N Lebanon - Syria, Lebanon and
 /LIH KLVWRU\  polyvoltine. The female lays pale green eggs   N Israel. The southern distribution limits are in Nahal Aviv   'HVFULSWLRQ RI Melitaea arduinna levantina n. ssp.
 in small batches on the leaves of the hostplant. The newly   580 m 33°04’30’’N 12 km N Safed (Tsfat) Upper Galilee,    Georgia  Russia   Greece  Benyamini & Russell 2021;  (Benyamini, 2022b).
 hatched larva is black with orange bristles and an orange   Israel (Benyamini, 2010a: 130). Ten-Hagen collected it in   DB decided to choose the types from the populations
 line on its sides. The mature larva is up to 23 mm in   Dimas, NW Damascus, Syria at 33°35’N and in Damascus   Dark melanic females  around Mt Cana’an - Tsfat, N Israel  (Nahal Aviv (Aviv
 length, the ground colour is grey with fine black lines, and   (det. John Coutsis, Athens). Sanetra (1999) collected   stream)), Trashei Tsfat, Mt Cana’an, Mt Amiad &
 along the entire length of the body are grey and orange   “Melitaea didyma didyma” in 11-12 May 1989 at “Syr.   Rosh-Pina – several are illustr.), based on: a. This
 branched spines with black hairs. The head is orange with   3….S of Qanawat, W–Foot of Jebel Hauran”. This Syrian   is a protected species by law in Israel since 2008
 black hairs. The true legs are orange with black claws; the   record, about 95 km S Damascus is doubtful because ten-  while the other two populations in the west bank are
 prolegs are white with black soles. Larvae usually leave   Hagen’s Melitaeas from “Reschidae” (Rushaydah) 23.5 km   not protected and suffer from sever overgrazing, b.
 the hostplant to pupate on nearby plants and stones. The   ESE of Qanawat in a similar altitude of 1400-1500 m are   The main biotope in Trashei Tsfat is within a nature
 suspended pupa is 13 mm long, white and spotted with   actually M. acentria (det. John Coutsis, Athens).    reserve c. The total area of its distribution around
 black and yellow. Bred pupae hatched at the end of August   Serbia   Russia   Kratovo district  Tsfat is at least one order of magnitude larger than
 after a seven to eight days (DB breeding notes, Israel). As     each of the Samarian populations.
 with several other  Melitaea spp. the last summer brood
 immature L3 larvae form a hibernaculum within curled            7\SH PDWHULDO
 dead leaves secured by silk. After overwintering, feeding       Males (n=11) – 01 Holotype, wingspan 42.30 mm.
 resumes in spring and may proceed through seven larval          Labelled as: “Nahal Aviv (Printed) [/] 12.4.1985,
 moults, as reported for France and possibly elsewhere by        *DOLO  ʇ   3ULQWHG   > @  ,65$(/   3ULQWHG   > @  /HJ   'XEL
 Lafranchis et al., (2015: 472).                                 Benyamini (Printed)” and Holotype (red label) – illustr.
                                                                 3DUDW\SHV males (no’s 02 – 11): 02 & 03 same data
 3DUDVLWRLGV  three of 25 (12%)  M.  didyma  larvae found   © Dubi Benyamini  © Dubi Benyamini  as the holotype, 04 same data as the holotype (the
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