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Melanargia syriaca (Oberthür, 1894) Syrian Marbled White

A well-defined Levantine Melanargia, more heavily
suffused with black than M. titea and M. wiskotti.
Flies in open glades in forests of oak and black pine
in typical ‘flip and glide’ flight similar to Limenitis
#
reducta. Males fly low among tall grasses in search
of females, rising to 1.5–2 m while overflying higher
vegetation. Based on genitalia and DNA analysis, the
revised status of the taxon syriaca (as part of the © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
larger subspecific variation in the larissa complex
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Magenta
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Yellow
recognized by Nazari et al., (2009)), appears not to
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 12:34:17 | SR:-- | Cyan
be supported by the morphological and biological
similarities to M. galathea.
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HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
lar v a
pupa
%LRORJ\
)OLJKW SHULRG early May to late July, 700-1900 m
in Hatay (Atahan et al., 2018: 71); 2029-2119 m at
Al-Lazzab reserve Syrian Anti-Lebanon (Zarikian &
Ghrejyan, 2018).
/LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine. In the laboratory, a courting
male was seen to walk towards a female while
opening and closing its wings. Females show rejection
by flipping their wings quickly and raising the tip © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
of the abdomen against the head of the male in a
previously unreported rejection posture. In Hatay,
females placed in a breeding cage with their favoured
blue flowers of Scabiosa columbaria, laid eggs at
midday while fluttering and nectaring, and the eggs
fall to the ground. The spherical, white eggs are 1
mm in diameter, smooth, semi-glossy with a small
micropyle depression at the top. Eggs are completely
different from those of titea and wiskotti, but similar
to M. galathea. Under the microscope, 48 fine ribs
and a porous shell were observed (Hesselbarth et
al., 1995(3): 485, DB pers. obs.). L1 hatches after
11 days, and does not eat the eggshell. The white L1
is 2.8-3 mm long, hairy and with a thin mid-dorsal
brown line and two sub-dorsal brown bands; the head
is wider than the body that tapers backwards. After
5-6 months of summer diapause, feeding commences
on young grasses, larval colour changing to green.
By the end of April/early May and feeding at night, © Sylvain Cuvelier © Sylvain Cuvelier
L5 larvae grow to a chunky 25 mm long. The mature
larva is brownish-pink or light brown, has white short ©Ali Atahan Kütahya ©Ali Atahan Kütahya
hairs, four white longitudinal stripes, the upper two © Dubi Benyamini
wider, with lower dark brown margins. Pupates on the
ground ventral side up without a silken web, beneath 'LVWULEXWLRQ
soft soil (Hesselbarth et al., 1995(3): 868) or possibly
among grasses. The pupa is 15 mm long, 6 mm wide, TL: Akbès, Syrie, NE Hatay, S Turkey (as var. of galathea).
matt and light brown in colour, with a slightly coarse 'LVWULEXWHG IURP $GDQD +DWD\ .DKUDPDQPDUDû DQG
texture. Adults hatched after 12-14 days, males NW Syria across CE Turkey and Hakkari Province (SE
emerging first. Turkey), possibly in N Iraq to NW Iran. In the Levant, the
nominotypical ssp. is confined to C & S Amanos Mt and NW
5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Poaceae (Gramineae); in the Syria (Hesselbarth et al., 1995 (3): 767; Zarikian, 2016). It
laboratory, larvae preferred the annual grasses Poa overlaps slightly in its eastern limit with M. titea standfussi
annua - (illustr.) and Brachypodium distachyon over in N Hatay and with M. t. titania in S Hatay (Atahan et al.,
perennial Piptatherum sp. 2018: 71-72).
© Sylvain Cuvelier © Sylvain Cuvelier
76 69
2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 76 12/30/2021 4:23:32 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 69 12/30/2021 4:23:15 PM