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Tribe Melitaeini Newman, 1870 Fritillaries, Checkerspots and Crescentspots

Medium to small size butterflies, mostly of orange and black coloration. Adults of first brood in polyvoltine species are always
larger than later broods that may produce very small adults, smaller in size than large Lycaenids – e.g. Melitaea syriaca – illustr.
Consist of 20-25 genera divided to five sub-tribes: Euphydryina, Melitaeina, Chlosynina, Gnathotrichina and Phyciodina that are © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
distributed in the Holarctic and Neotropical regions (with a few exceptions) (Long et al., 2014).

One genus is present in the Levant: Melitaea )DEULFLXV , which is the largest Nymphalid genus in the Levant with 11 (12?)
species.

The known secondary chemistry is the same as for Centaurea solstitialis, which Melitaea’s larvae eat. The active principle is
either a weird molecule: 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-(H)-pyran-4, called DDMP for short, or a sesquiterpene lactone called repin.
DGXOW
DGXOW
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1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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The literature is contradictory; Both plants act as cumulative neurotoxins when ingested by horses, causing facial paralysis HJJ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 1 12
HJJ

lar v a v a
lar

ultimately leading to death by starvation. Only horses are affected, which is in itself very weird. Both plants are eaten by Vanessa pupa © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini

pupa

cardui larvae with no problems. Shapiro (pers. comm.). “M. t. dorae” Mt. Hermon, 2000 m,
26.5.2007 6
Variations (abberations): common in Levant’s Melitaea spp. more than in any other Nymphalid genus. Geographic variations
in Mt Hermon or the central plateaux may be locally common – three striking samples of new Melitaea telona aberrations are 12
illustr. – see Vol I for Variations, Aberrations and Forms. 1
M.syriaca Iolana alfierii M.didyma Lysandra amanda M.phoebe Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Mt. Hermon, 1600 m,
m
Hermon
Mt
1
600
150 m, 12.4.1960 28.5.1976
© Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
2
“M. t. dorae” Mt. Hermon, 1780 m, 9.4.2007
Small summer brood Melitaea spp. compared to large Lycaenids (scale 1:1)
C Negev, Nahal Elot, Samaria Desert, Kohav HaShahar,
800 m, 10.3.2007 520 m, 4.3.2018
9DULDWLRQV DEEHUDWLRQV RI Melitaea VSS M. telona
‹ 2ÀU 7RPHU © Stav Talal
a phoretic single red mite
3 3
Transjordan, Edom, (Petra), 25.3.1923, leg J. Philby
© The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, License 4.0,
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
© Bar Shani-Segev © Bar Shani-Segev © Ilias Abai Ļ
Melitaea telona Q DE shani-segev Benyamini, 2021 Melitaea telona VOLJKWO\ DE Ļ
1
4 4 © Noam Avitsel
Jordan, Edom, Wadi Dana, 485 m, 27.3.1999, in cop. 7 Mt. Hermon, 1600 m, 12.5.2009
5 2
Wadi Salim, N Jerusalem 2.4.1975 S Jordan,Gebel Rum, 1100 m, 8.4.2000
"M. t. dorae" syn. of M. telona
M. telona Q DE singularis M. telona Q DE tomer M. deserticola Q DE uri-caspi M.cinxia DE horvathi
Benyamini, 2021. Mt. Hermon 1650 m Benyamini, 2021 Benyamini, 2021. Israel, N Jerusalem, Aigner, 1908, Mt. Hermon, 1850 m
31.5.1979 leg. Dubi Benyamini Israel, Ayalon Forest 1.5.2008 wadi Salim 3.4.1982 leg. Uri Caspi 26.4.2021 leg. Ilias Abai © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
leg. Ofir Tomer
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