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as 10-12 mm long L4, having nine longitudinal 13
rows of black and orange cones with black spines.
The following spring, all larvae grow to 20 mm long
mature L5, now coloured black with longitudinal
lines of orange conic protrusions covered with
black spines and lateral white bands with yellow
#
cones and black spines. The head is orange with
black hairs, the legs orange with black tarsal claws
and hairs. Spiracles are marked as black spots
within white circles. The suspended pre-pupa 'XEL %HQ\DPLQL
pupates after 18 hours, forming a 13 mm long,
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 13 - A | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Magenta
white pupa, covered with black and yellow spots
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 13 - A | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Yellow
#21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 13 - A | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Black
21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 13 - A | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Cyan
and short lines. The thorax and the abdomen are
covered with short yellow cone-like protrusions.
Reared pupae hatched after 12 days.
© Dubi Benyamini
3DUDVLWRLGV L3 to L5 larvae are attacked by [a © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
species in the] Cotesia melitaearum-aggregate 7
(cf. Kankare & Shaw, 2004; Kankare et al., 2005)
(Braconidae, Microgastrinae) producing white
cocoons; same wasp sp. also attacks larvae of M. 'XEL %HQ\DPLQL
cinxia & M. israela on the same Plantago hostplant
+ the tiny hyperparasite - Dibrachys microgastri
(Bouché) (Chalcididae, Pteromalidae) (Mark Shaw
pers. comm. to DB).
5HFRUGHG KRVWSODQWV Plantaginaceae – Plantago
lanceolata var, atrata (det. Prof. Avi Shmida,
Hebrew Univ. Jerusalem) [M], Lamiaceae
(Labiatae) – Teucrium orientale - illustr. 8. (P.
lanceolata is also used by M. cinxia that flies in
the same biotopes three weeks earlier, clearly 'XEL %HQ\DPLQL © Leah Benyamini © Cristodoulos Makris
in competition for the same hostplant resources
(Benyamini, 2016c). 8
'XEL %HQ\DPLQL
&RQVHUYDWLRQ in 2008, Melitaea acentria (ex
M. persea) was declared as endangered and
protected by law in Israel. Yet, at Mt Hermon,
the creation of 10 to 50 m wide ski tracks and
their annual clearance with heavy machinery has
destroyed large areas of both hostplants, resulting
in decreasing local butterfly population numbers. 'XEL %HQ\DPLQL 'XEL %HQ\DPLQL
'LVWULEXWLRQ
© Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
TL: Mt. Hermon, 2050 m, Israel. The species
is isolated in the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Egg laying on Plantago lanceolata Mt Hermon 2050 m M. israela M. a. acentria
mountain ranges in Israel (Mt Hermon), Lebanon
and Syria, An isolated population was found on
the eastern slopes of Jabal al-Druze, Hauran S
Syria (det. John Coutsis, ten-Hagen, pers. comm.
to DB). Sanettra (1999) reported M. didyma from
Qanawat NW Hauran but it is possibly M. acentria.
Only two records (females) are presently known
from Jordan: Wadi Rajil (N Jordan on the lower SE
slopes of Jabal al-Druze: Hemming, 1932 – illustr,
2) and W Na’ur, 500 m, Amman (ten-Hagen pers.
comm. to DB - illustr. 3), absent from Cyprus,
Hatay and Sinai. The nominate ssp. flies in the
Levant, but an additional ssp. flies in C Saudi
Arabia: M. acentria arabica n. ssp. ex Melitaea
persea sargon Hemming, 1932 (Baghdad, Iraq &
Wadi Rajil, Jordan) - see next entry. 5
'XEL %HQ\DPLQL 'XEL %HQ\DPLQL © Leah Benyamini © Ofir Tomer
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