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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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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.

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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