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darkest ssp. levantina – illustr.), 05 same data as the 3DUDVLWRLGV in all the biotopes of arduinna tachinid– 9 9 9
holotype – mounted upside down, 06 Ex larva, Trashei like flies were found buzzing around the larvae but not
Tsfat, pupa: 19.3.05, adult: 10.4.05 (2005) genitalia a single larva was found to be infected. Mark Shaw
21-02, right hw missing, 07 same data as 06 except suggests that “Erycia sp. is the most likely (Tachinidae)
adult: 16.4.2005, 08 same data as 06 except adult: genus” of these flies (pers. comm. to DB).
17.4.2005 (slightly aberrant) – illustr., 09 same data as
no. 06 except adult: 18.4.2005, 10 Mt Cna’an 2.5.1992, &RQVHUYDWLRQ in spring 2018, the author, in company
Galil, Israel, leg. Dolev Avni, DB Collection, 11 Rosh-Pina with Dr Peter Russell (UK), surveyed two small isolated
400 m 2.4.2016 leg. Dubi Benyamini. Females (n=7) – populations of M. arduinna in S Samaria Desert. Heavy
12 Allotype, wingspan 44.50 mm labelled same as the overgrazing by goats, exacerbated by reducing annual
holotype, 13 same as the holotype – mounted upside rainfall was found to have resulted in stunted hostplant
down, 14 same data as paratype no. 06 (the smallest growth, deemed inadequate to sustain these threatened
female – illustr.). 15 same data as no. 06 except adult: populations (Benyamini & Russell, 2019). M. arduinna © Guy Peer © Tony Pittaway ©Tony Pitteway
12.4.2005, 16 same data as no’ 15 but mounted upside has been protected by law in Israel since 2008, and
down, 17 same data as no. 06 except adult: 21.4.2005. is rated as endangered (EN) in the Israeli red book of 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8
18 ex larva on Centaurea behen, Mt Amiad below Nof butterflies (Renan et al., 2022 (in prep)).
Kineret, 04.03.2019, pupa: 13.3.2019 adult: 28.3.2019 © Tony Pitteway
leg. Dubi Benyamini, LH FW crimpled – illustr. 5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Asteraceae – Centaurea behen
var brachyptera in the Galilee, and Centaurea ascalonica,
All eighteen types will be deposited in the Steinhardt an endemic plant of the semi-desert vegetational belts 13
Museum of Natural History, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv, Israel. of the Samaria Desert, West Bank, Israel and western
Jordan. This second LHP belongs to the ‘thousand heads
section’ of Centaurea rigida and might also be the LHP in
Jordan (Dr Ori Fragman-Sapir, pers. comm. to DB).
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)OLJKW SHULRG late March in the Samaria Desert (340- © Leah Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini ©Tony Pitteway
680 m) to April/May in the Galilee, Israel and Jordan 'LVWULEXWLRQ
(370 to ca. 1200 m). 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
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/LIH KLVWRU\ univoltine. The females group-oviposit on from S Russia to Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia,
the hostplant, sometimes lining up to access the laying Turkey, Syria (?) (Zarikian, 2016), Jordan, Israel, Iraq,
spot. The creamy-white eggs are laid in layers under Iran and C Asia. Not recorded from Lebanon, Cyprus
green or dry leaves close to the ground, forming masses or Sinai. Three isolated populations exist in Israel: The
that may contain thousands of eggs. After 10 days the northern population in the Safed (Tsfat) - Rosh Pina
newly emerged larvae hatch possibly downwards to the area, has disjunct colonies around concentrations of C.
leaf surface, are 2 mm long, pale beige, covered with behen; the Safed population extending up to Malkia on © Leah Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
white hairs and have a light brown head. Larvae are the Lebanese border. Centaurea behen also grows in S
gregarious, feeding communally on the hostplant under Lebanon, strongly suggesting that M. arduinna might be
a silken web. The third instar larvae are black, spin a present. (A situation perhaps similar to the obligatory
waterproof web on the ground and remain in diapause myrmecophilous lycaenid Apharitis cilissa that was first
for 10 months until the following spring. This behaviour found in Mt Meron close to the Lebanese border, and
is necessary because such large masses of larvae strip tens of years later was discovered in S Lebanon). The
the hostplant completely, leaving no option other than central population was discovered in N Samaria Mt Kabir
for the larvae to enter diapause until the plants recover in spring 2020 around concentrations of Centaurea
sufficiently the following year to sustain further larval ascalonica and the third, much smaller and more fragile
growth. Due to the further defoliation of hostplants populations exist in the S Samaria Desert also around
by these larvae, later emerging females from a given C. ascalonica , where M. arduinna reaches its southern
population may be forced to disperse to seek hostplants distribution limit in Rimonim (31º 55’ N). In Jordan,
elsewhere. The mature larvae are 30 mm long, black with the southern limit is slightly further south at Na’ur, SW
a yellow-grey underside, with wide lower lateral orange Amman (31º 51’ N).
bands and are covered with branched spines, coloured
black or orange depending on their location; black spines
on black body, orange on orange. The suspended pupa is Two subspecies have been previously described from the
18 mm long, brown-grey in colour and hatches after two Levant:
weeks (Benyamini, 2011a).
- Melitaea arduinna rhodopensis Freyer, [1836]; TL:
*HQHWLF GHFOLQH the small, disjunct, arduinna “Europäischen Türkei”– S Turkey (Russell et al., 2017).
populations pose an interesting question about the - Melitaea arduinna evanescens Staudinger, 1886; TL: N
genetic health (inbreeding) of each population; does low Iran – Israel and Jordan.
or high genetic diversity provide any indicator about a
species’ vulnerability. In such situations, those experts
consulted agree that priority should be directed at
ensuring survival of endangered populations; collecting
the many specimens needed for such genetical tests is
of secondary importance. © Leah Benyamini
196 205