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Melitaea israela Benyamini, Tomer & Coutsis 2021 n. sp. Hermon Fritillary 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR - 21603-BRACHA-PARPAR | 13 - A | 21-12-30 | 11:34:48 | SR:-- | Cyan

Local, rare, fragile - vulnerable Melitaea sp. of Mt Hermon
at 1600-2000 m middle heights. It was overlooked for
many years among five other syntopic and synchronous
Melitaea species; Melitaea acentria, M. cinxia, M. collina,
M. deserticola & M. syriaca. An additional complication to
separating by wing characters the new species especially
from its closest relatives, such as are the syntopic M. acentria
and M. deserticola as well as the allotopic M. didyma was
the great size variability of these spp. where first broods
are usually larger. Four events uncovered the existence
of a 6th Melitaea sp. in Mt Hermon: 1. For many years DB
looked for M. didyma on Mt Hermon where its lower altitude
LHP Antirrhinum majus was not found. A similar sp. that he
collected was believed by him to belong to the highly variable
M. persea montium. 2. Ofir Tomer collected its first brood in
May and realized that it is more reddish than other spp. 3. Explanatory drawing of male genitalia © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini
When Ofir collected it also in Gebel Rus (Har Agas – Shnunim
Valley) 1100 m, on 12 may 2000 during ILS field trip to N 13
Golan he realized that it cannot be M. persea montium nor M.
didyma. 4. Then, Lukhtanov (2017) described M. acentria and
mentioned the existence of M. didyma liliputana in the same
type-locality and presented a single small male of the latter
in Fig. 10(g). Discussing the identity of this 6th Mt. Hermon
Melitaea Coutsis at first thought it to be M. gina Higgins, 1941,
but soon dismissed it on account of differences between the
two in the ground-colour of the upper side of their wings.
Upon dissecting a good number of male Melitaea taxa that
included persea (mostly from Iran), didyma, hybrids persea
x didyma (from Iran and Turkey), acentria and the presently
described israela sp. nov., he found the following differences M. didyma distal process of valva: base wide, ventrum without
carinate element; aedeagus: dorso-lateral ridge low.
in their PDOH JHQLWDOLD
Melitaea persea a. Distal process of valva QDUURZ at base,
and KDYLQJ ventral, serrated carinate structure. E Lateral
sclerotized element of tegumen in lateral aspect shaped like
a “VPRNHU·V SLSH”. F Dorso-lateral ridges of aedeagus KLJK. © Dubi Benyamini © Ofir Tomer

Melitaea didyma a. Distal process of valva YHU\ ZLGH at
base, and ZLWKRXW ventral, serrated carinate structure. E
Distal extremity of lateral sclerotized element of tegumen in
lateral aspect shaped like a “SLVWRO”. F Dorso-lateral ridges
of aedeagus ORZ.

+\EULGV persea x didyma: a. Distal process of valva as in
persea, but ventral, serrated carinate structure often less M. acentria distal process of valva: base narrow, ventrum with
developed. E. Distal extremity of lateral sclerotized element of carinate element; aedeagus: dorso-lateral ridge high.
tegumen in lateral aspect usually intermediate between that
of persea and didyma in a variety of combinations. F. Dorso-
lateral ridges of aedeagus KLJK.

Melitaea acentria a. Distal process of valva QDUURZ at
base, and KDYLQJ ventral, serrated, carinate structure. E.
Distal extremity of lateral sclerotized element of tegumen in
lateral aspect shaped like a “SLVWRO”. F. Dorso-lateral ridges
of aedeagus KLJK.

Melitaea israela a. Distal process of valva QDUURZHU at base
than in didyma but ZLGHU than in acentria, and ZLWKRXW ventral,
serrated carinate structure. E. Distal extremity of lateral M. israela distal process of valva: base narrow, ventrum without
sclerotized element of tegumen in lateral aspect shaped like carinate element; aedeagus: dorso-lateral ridge low.
a “SLVWRO”. F. Dorso-lateral ridges of aedeagus ORZ.
Distal process of valvae of three male genitalias
of didyma, acentria & israela © Dubi Benyamini © Dubi Benyamini

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