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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
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lar v a
pupa
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)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.
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M.
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larvae preferred the annual grasses Poa annua - (illustr.)
and Brachypodium distachyon.
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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