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Melanargia wiskotti Röber, 1896   Wiskott’s Marbled White



 A large and local species of SC Turkey, flying between two
 widespread sister species: M. larissa to the west and north,
 and M. titea to the east and south. The ups submarginal
 black band is well developed, upf black spot in the distal
 #
 area of the cell is reduced to two black lines (Bozano,
 2002: 12). As for DNA analysis by Nazari  et al., (2009),
 the biological evidence presented here supports  wiskotti
 as a full species rather than as a ssp. of  titea. Flight is             SE Lebanon, Gabel El Baruch, 1900 m
                                                                          SE Lebanon, Gabel El Baruch, 1900 m
 weak, fluttery and close to the ground, seemingly flying in
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Magenta
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Yellow
 a more direct line than titea that has a more zig-zag flight.
 #21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Black
 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - B | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Cyan
                    1    2     3    4     5     6     7    8     9   10   11  12
                          34
                                 5
 Attracted to flowers of Asteraceae and Dipsaceae spp.                           DGXOW  12      3    4  5  6  6  7  7  8  9  1  0  1  1  1  2
                                 HJJ
                          lar v a
 where they congregate to sip nectar extensively.            pupa
                        DGXOW
 5
 1
 1
 6
 6
 1
 6
 2
 4
 3
 8
 2
 7
 9
 1
 0
 1
                       HJJ  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10  11  12
               lar v a
          pupa
 %LRORJ\
 )OLJKW SHULRG  : mid-May to late June, sea level to 1000 m               S Syria, Hauran, 5 Km E Shabha, 1200 m
 (Atahan et al., 2018: 73; DB pers. obs.).
 /LIH  KLVWRU\  univoltine. Courting was observed in
 June 2013, on the lower slopes of Yilankale (= historic   Lebanon, Tannurin, 925 m
 Armenian ‘Snake Castle’), 32 km E Adana, SC Turkey at
 113 m asl. Here, males were observed flying at a height
 of 20-30 cm among dense vegetation of  Paliurus spina-
 christi  and  Zizyphus lotus bushes in search of females.
 Previously mated females rejected the approaching males
 by vibrating their wings and elevating their abdomens in
 a pierid-like fashion. Shade was sought in the hot early                     Israel, Mt Carmel, 474 m
 afternoon hours. Females oviposit while fluttering over the
 hostplants, usually without settling, and the eggs fall to the   Lebanon, EL-Arz, Cedar Mt., 1870 m
 ground. In captivity, females oviposited while nectaring on   M.  t. titea
 flowers of  Scabiosa  and  Pterocephalus (Dipsaceae) spp.
 Eggs are white, 0.9 mm in height and diameter, the lower
 40% warty and the upper 60% having 17-18 vertical ribs.
 L1 hatches after 14 days, and does not eat the eggshell.
 L1 is 3 mm long, hairy, white with a pinkish-brown tint, a
 mid-dorsal thin darker line and two subdorsal brown bands
 sometimes fragmented. Following seven to nine months of
 summer-winter diapause, feeding commences on young                        Israel, Judean Desert, Ein Fara, 300 m
 grasses when larval colour changes to greyish-green with
 a greenish-brown head. By early May, larvae measure 32-
 33 mm in length and 5 mm in width, with colour varying
 from entirely brownish-pink, with short hairs, and with
 four yellowish-white longitudinal stripes and a sub-dorsal
 dark brown line, to having a ground colour of light brown,
 similarly marked. The pre-pupa is 20 mm long, yellowish-  © Dubi Benyamini
 brown with brown prolegs. The pupa, formed ventral side
 up, is 16 mm long, 7.5 mm wide, yellowish-brown, with a                  Israel, Mt. Hermon, 1700 m - Aberant
 dark thin-lined net only at the base of the wing cases and
 is formed on the ground among grasses, without use of a
 silken web. Adults hatch after 2-3 weeks.
                           Turkey, Hatay, Altinozu 500 m
 5HFRUGHG  KRVWSODQWV   Poaceae (Gramineae); in the lab,   M. t. standfussii
                               t.
                             M
                             M M M.
                                 sta
                               t.
                               t.
                                 s
                             M.
                                   ndf
                                     uss
 larvae preferred the annual grasses Poa annua - (illustr.)
 and Brachypodium distachyon.
 'LVWULEXWLRQ
 TL: Dorak – SC Turkey (Mersin). Distributed from W Mersin                    Jordan, E of Mt Nebo, 700 m
 and Adana Provinces to SW Osmaniye and NW Hatay,
 where it is found in the NW Levant at W Erzin and where it                 M. t. titania Calberla, 1891
 was first recorded on 19.6.2015 (Atahan et al., 2018: 73).   © Ofir Tomer  © Dubi Benyamini
 74                                                                                                            71
 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   74  12/30/2021   4:23:26 PM  2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd   71  12/30/2021   4:23:20 PM
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