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Maniola cypricola (Graves, 1928)        Cyprus Meadow Brown



                   An endemic species, widely distributed throughout all parts
                   of the island of Cyprus, although less commonly reported
                   from the Mesaoria Plain (EJ, pers. obs.); Lethargic in flight
                   and sedentary by nature, M. cypricola is very common in
                   many types of habitat in late spring and early summer,
                   when mating takes place. Males are short-lived, while
                   females aestivate in the shade and cooler temperatures of
                   bushes or in overgrown, dry watercourses during summer.
                   Arrested ovarian maturation contributes to a delay in egg-
                   laying until the autumn rains, when  cypricola   ʆʆ   FDQ
                   again be readily seen. Female cypricola were recorded at
                   64 (49%) of 131 sites (from sl to 1000+ m) across the
                   island in early-mid October 2017 (EJ, pers. obs.), belying the                          DGXOW  1  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12
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                                                                                          HJJ
                   occasional reference (in an overall European context) to the                 lar v a                                            © Adam Warecki                             © Adam Warecki                  © Adam Warecki
                                                                             pupa
                   species being a rare endemic. Cistus creticus, Centaurea
                   aegialophila,  C.  hyalolepis,  Echium angustifolium and
                   Limonium sinuatum are among favoured nectar plants.
                   Rare examples of post-aestivation puddling by female M.
                   cypricola were presented in John & Dennis (2019).

                   %LRORJ\
                   )OLJKW  SHULRG  usually April-October, but may be seen
                   earlier or later.
                   /LIH  KLVWRU\  univoltine, as with all  Maniola spp. Eggs
                   are white, barrel-shaped to truncated conical, with 13-
                   14 prominent ribs (Thomson, 1987) and are laid singly
                   on grass stems in the autumn. Measuring ca. 1 mm on
                   eclosure, the young larva diapauses or feeds slowly on
                   warmer days throughout winter, reaching maturity in
                   March. The fully-grown larva is ca. 30 mm in length, head
                   and body colour are light green, with a darker mid-dorsal
                   green line and with numerous short white setae covering
                   the body; at the anal end is a small fork. Pupae are formed
                   low on the hostplant and vary in colour from green with
                   brown markings, to brown with white markings (Martin                                                                                                            © Ali Atahan                               © Adam Warecki
                   Gascoigne-Pees, pers. comm.).
                   5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV  Poaceae (Gramineae) – Poa spp.


                   'LVWULEXWLRQ

                   TL: “S Cyprus”. M. cypricola has long been regarded as an
                   endemic species, although some, e.g. Tshikolovets (2011:                               © Christodoulos Makris
                   340) consider cypricola to be a ssp. of M. telmessia.
                   However, Olivier (1993: 145), commenting on wing
                   PRUSKRORJ\   VWDWHG  ¶7KH  ʇ  RI  M.  cypricola can easily be
                   VHSDUDWHG IURP WKH ʇ RI M. telmessia …’. Compared with
                   other Maniola spp., Thomson (1976, 1987) and Kudrna (in
                   prep.) noted differences in male and female genitalia of
                   cypricola, while Grill et al., (2004) stated, ‘On basis of the
                   valvae, however, M. chia and M. cypricola can be clearly
                   distinguished from the other  Maniola.’ These findings
                   continue to lend support to specific rank, under which it
                   remained so named in Wiemers  et al., (2018). In recent
                   years, DNA analyses based on mitochondrial DNA (DNA
                   barcoding) have led to inconclusive results regarding the
                   relationships within European  Maniola, and additional
                   molecular data is required before any conclusions can be
                   GUDZQ  9ODG 'LQFć  SHUV  FRPP  WR (-                                                       © Eddie John                                                         © Ali Atahan                              © Dubi Benyamini


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           2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   66                                             12/30/2021   4:23:06 PM  2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   79                                    12/30/2021   4:23:43 PM
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