Melanargia titea explained

Melanargia titea, the Levantine marbled white, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

Distribution

It is found in Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Israel, Armenia, Lebanon, Iran and Turkey.

Description

The wingspan is about 55 mm. Adults are on wing from April to June.[1]

The larvae feed on Gramineae and Poaceae species.

Subspecies

Taxonomy

Recent research suggest Melanargia titea is in fact a subspecies of Melanargia larissa, while Melanargia titea wiskotti is raised to full-species rank.[2]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Middle_East/Israel/photo49770.htm treknature
  2. http://www.uoguelph.ca/~vnazari/Nazari_et_al_2009.pdf Molecular systematics and phylogeny of the ‘Marbled Whites’ (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae, Melanargia Meigen)