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Melitaea klili Benyamini, 2021 n.sp. Klil Fritillary 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 12 - B | 22-01-02 | 10:39:04 | SR:-- | Cyan

A bi to three-voltine sp. that is confined to wet biotopes %LRORJ\
in coastal plains and river banks of Israel, Lebanon and
Syria, where its Centaurea iberica main host-plant is )OLJKW SHULRG mid-March to early August depending on
biennial+, April-August in bloom and green allowing the locality, up to 250 m (asl) in wadis and rivulets descending
species to breed in up to three annual broods. Like M. to the Mediterranean. © Andre Coetzer
telona nominotypical sp. is “a mid-size territorial species
that flies along ravines, wadis and paths, alighting on /LIH KLVWRU\ two or three annual broods. Tens of eggs are DGXOW 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
2345
67
HJJ
the ground, flipping its wings repeatedly to half-open laid in groups on the underside of the hostplant’s leaves lar v a
pupa
position.” and are yellowish when laid, 0.7 mm in height, cone-
Since the early 1950’s DB met M. telona (for him M. shaped with flat top. On emerging after 5-6 days, the © Steve Collins © Andre Coetzer © Dubi Benyamini
phoebe) in his home town Haifa; appearing every year larva is 2 mm long, yellow with two mid-dorsal rows of long
in the second week of April on the lower slopes of Mt black hairs and side rows of white hairs, the heart-shape
Carmel; it was a single brooded species that in later years head is black. They consume the eggshell and sometimes
was found in mountains of the Levant from Mt Hermon other eggshells or nibble un-hatched eggs. Then they
(1500-2000+ m) in the north to the C Negev mountains start nibbling leaf surface creating “windows” until the
as far south as Gebel Rum (8.4.2000, 1150 m, leg DB) in whole leaf is transparent covered with silk threads and
S Jordan, only ~ 30 km from the Saudi border. However frass. 4-4.5 mm long L2 is light brownish-grey, the body is
in the end of April 1959 DB found black typical Melitaea covered with tiny light orang “cones” over white base, long
larvae with black heads on large leaf rosette of Acanthus black hair on top of the cone and white hairs below it and
syriacus (Acanthaceae) or Cynara syriaca or Onopordum black head. 6-7 mm long L3 is black with orange cones, © Ofir Tomer © Dubi Benyamini
carduiforme (both Asteraceae), (no definite det.) in St. black spines and red head they enter a winter diapause
Jean, ruined ex RAF airbase, sl, 5 km N Acre port, 150 after the third moult and hibernate in a silken web at the 1
m from the Mediterranean coast-line of N Israel. The base of the LHP in litter until next spring when they start
larvae pupated and between 25-27.5.1959 emerged feeding on the fresh regrowth of the LHP. The mature L5
second brood of M. phoebe-like specimens - (Benyamini, is 30 mm in length, grey-black with orange spines having
1990: 127 lower female). This was the first record of pale or black bristles, and a diagnostic reddish-brown
second brooded Melitaea phoebe/telona in Israel. Fifty head from L4 and on (Russell et al., 2007); otherwise, it
years elapsed before the first observation of the new is similar to the larvae of M. phoebe with black head. The
sp. described below; on 13 June 2009 DB hiked section 15-17 mm long pupa is suspended from a tail pad of silk
number ten of Israel National Trail (INT); walking from attached to a twig; it is similar to that of M. syriaca, but
Yiftach’el junction to Nofit along Zippori stream in lower with sharper protuberances and larger black marks.
Galilee near Tabbash-Ka’abiyye village, he observed a
telona-like small specimen that was flying off telona’s *HQHUDWLRQV VFKHGXOHV - First generation – from
flight period – it was a late second brood specimen of n. sp. overwintering L3 between 27 Feb. (Lab.) to mid April. Jordan, Edom Wadi Dana 520 m, 17.4.1998 © Leah Benyamini
klili and its first observation in the wild. On 26 May 2018 - Second generation were partly offspring of extended “gregarious, blackish with a black mid-dorsal line, transverse bands of
DB returned to this biotope to collect adults and eggs for overwintering L3 or direct offspring of the first brood. tan points, many grey or white branching spines, dark brown beneath,
his thorough research on the interesting biology of this They hatched from 24 May to 11 June. - Third generation prolegs red, head reddish, with two long black branched spines on
sp.; possibly not reported before in any other Melitaea adults hatched between 20 June until 25 July and only top (head), eat its molts, grow to 48 mm long`. Pupa (20 mm long)
sp. – see below. A second population was discovered by once two pupae hatched on 6 August. The extended period 3 3 tan, (or brown with green tint) variegated and streaked with yellowish-
Oshri Naparstek who photographed courting of a third- of the third brood is because their larvae originated from 28.8.1936 leg. Bytinski-Salz tan, short and thick, with small bumps.” (Scott, 1986: 273). Pupal dry
Cyprus, Limassol sl
brood couple on 29 June 2018 in Nahal Shezor, Karmiel, three former broods: 1) last year extended diapausing L3. season diapause was reported by Gordon & Smith (2014). Early stages
206 m asl ~20 km NE of the Zippori population (illustr. 2) slow growing larvae of the second brood with partial have not been observed in the Levant, despite the presence of many
next page). These two isolated populations are the only diapause. 3) direct few offspring of the second brood. known hostplants.
known in Israel while in Beirut three brooded phoebe
or klili were reported by Larsen (1974: 123) and the This prolonged gradual emergence along over 5 months 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV a polyphagous species: Acanthaceae – Asystasia,
Syrian coastal population near Latakia (Mudar Salimeh’s from late February to early August is an evolutionary Blepharis, Dyschoriste, Justicia and Ruelia spp.; Amaranthaceae
website) possibly belong to the same race. Regarding genetically controlled process that optimize the life cycle - Amaranthus spp.; Asteraceae: Ageratum spp.; Convolvulaceae -
these broods and rare second brooded telonas reported of Klili Fritillary with perennial large shrubs of Centaurea Convolvulus and Ipomoea spp.; Crassulaceae - Sedum spp.; Malvaceae
off the Mediterranean coast, Larsen & Nakamura, (1983) iberica n. var. sepphoris Benyamini, 2021 (named after Israel, Herzlia sl - Abelmoschus, Abutilon, Malva and Hibiscus spp.; Moraceae - Ficus
29.9.1942
opined that they appear “especially near permanent the archaeological site near Zippori rivulet, C Galilee). spp.; Portulacaceae – Portulaca and Talinum spp.
springs. Second and third generation specimens are
relatively uncommon in Lebanon. It seems to have a 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV known to feed only on biennial+ 'LVWULEXWLRQ TL: “America” (Indonesia, Java) wrong locality – see
catholic approach to food”. Rated (CR) in the Red Book of ? Centaurea iberica (Asteraceae) n. var. sepphoris Corbet (1949). The species has a wide Palaeotropical distribution,
,VUDHOL %XWWHUÁLHV 5HQDQ et al., 2022). (Benyamini, 2021) with pink flowers that grows in ranging from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, Asia and Australia. The
wet biotopes of “coastal” Mediterranean Levant e.g. species possibly reached the Americas during the slave trade period
Melitaea klili n. sp Benyamini, 2021 (Benyamini, 2022b). “evergreen” banks of Zippori and Shezor rivulets of lower where it became established in Latin America and the West Indies,
Holotype male: Nahal Shezor, Karmiel, C Galilee, Israel, & central Galilee, Israel and grow to 1.5+ m high huge rarely expanding northwards to S Florida. There have been sporadic
206 m, 2 July 2018, 3rd brood Leg. DB. plants. But also on the Lebanese and Syrian similar records from most countries of the Levant except Syria & Sinai.
$OORW\SH IHPDOH Nahal Zippori, Tabbash-Ka’abiyye, biotopes (Larsen, 1974: 123; Mudar Salimeh, Syrian In W Arabia it was reported in Jeddah/Hadda, Hejaz (Larsen 1983:
Lower Galilee, Israel, 90 m, 24 May 2018, 2nd brood, leg. Butterflies website). 430 & Pittaway, 1985) but migrants are proceeding (actually blown)
Ofir Tomer in Coll. DB. 3DUDW\SHV see table next page. 2 occasionally with RST tropical storms northwards along the Red Sea

All the types are in DB’s coll. that was contributed to the Lebanon, and Rift Valley to the Arava in Israel & Jordan. Fly to 3000 m in the
Steinhardt Natural History Museum, Tel Aviv University. Kfar Aabida, 6.4.2003 Himalaya (Kehimkar, 2008: 410).

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2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 190 12/30/2021 4:29:10 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 179 12/30/2021 4:28:39 PM