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TL: Beirut, Lebanon. Distributed in the E Mediterranean from
7XUNLVK 6 0DODW\D DQG & $GL\DPDQ DFURVV .DKUDPDQPDUDû
Gaziantep and Hatay Provinces to NW Syria, Lebanon,
N Jordan and Israel (absent from Cyprus and Sinai). The
#
species reaches it southern limit of distribution on the S
Hebron Mt slopes / N Negev, Israel. Three subspecies have
been listed in the Levant: M. t. titea (Klug, 1832); TL: Beirut,
Lebanon – Lebanon & Syria; M. t. titania Calberla, 1891; © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
TL: Hauran (S Syria) & Jerusalem-Jericho road – S Turkey
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 10:39:03 | SR:-- | Magenta
(Hatay), Syria, S Lebanon, Israel, Jordan; M. t. standfussi
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 10:39:03 | SR:-- | Yellow
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 10:39:03 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 5 - A | 22-01-02 | 10:39:03 | SR:-- | Cyan
Wagner, 1983; TL: “Urfa, Aintab” (Gaziantep) – S Turkey,
Hatay, Amanos Mts. and “Aleppo” (Halep/Halab), NW Syria.
1RPHQFODWXUH V\VWHPDWLF QRWH
© Dubi Benyamini
The distribution of the Balkan Marbled White and super
species; M. larissa (see Nazari et al., 2009), is given as S
Europe, Asia Minor to W Asia and the Levant, from the N
Adriatic stretching along ~3000 km to NW Iran (Bozano,
2002: 14; Nazari, 2003: 309), S in the Levant to the ©Dubi Benyamini
Samarian Desert and N Negev in SE & S Israel (Benyamini
1990: 136). With such a wide range and disparate
biological/morphological characters in eggs, larvae and
pupae found across the range (Hesselbarth et al., 1995(2): © Dubi Benyamini © Yitzhak Eisentein
861-864; Wagener, 1983, 1984; DB, breeding notes), it is
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questionable if this sedentary species can be represented by P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P Pipptatherumm milliaaceeumm
a single taxon. Furthermore, although not separated by any
geographic barrier, the very different species Melanargia © Dubi Benyamini ‹ 2ÀU 7RPHU
syriaca and even M. wiskotti are present between ‘larissa’
populations, establishing a possible biological obstacle.
Here, we express a view that M. titea, once a southern
clade of the larissa complex (Nazari et al., 2009), presents
enough evidence of changes from its ancestral origin to
justify its specific status.
© Leah Benyamini
M. titea titea M. titea titania M. titea standfussi
M. s. syriaca M. wiskotti
© Eyal Bartov Melanargia males of the Levant
72 73
2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 72 12/30/2021 4:23:22 PM 2Butterflies of the Levant danaidae satyridae.indd 73 12/30/2021 4:23:24 PM