Jordanita graeca (Jordan, 1907)

Host plants:
The larvae feed on Centaurea, Carduus, Onopordum and Cirsium species, rarely locally also other Asteraceae like Jurinea or Helichrysum. In literature listed are amongst others Centaurea melitensis, Cirsium solstitialis und Cirsium creticum. I recorded some 45 larvae almost exclusively on Onopordum illyricum in S-Croatia (Orebic N of Dubrovnik) in late March 2024, only two on other thistles.

Habitat:
Jordanita graeca inhabits especially dry and stony areas with the host plants (open, sparsely vegetated garrigue, embankments, road sides, steppe grasslands, pastures, ruderal places). Near Orebic in Croatia it occurred not in the very dry rocky slopes, but in somewhat more humid and nutrient-richer, stony and plain pastures with Onopordum.

Life cycle:
The adults occur most often between May and June, in the south already from April and in coastal areas of subtropical Cyprus already from late February to May. In the North and in higher altitudes (up to about 1600m) it flies still in July. I recorded the copula in late afternoon or early evening (16-19:00) in breeding. Oviposition occurs mostly singly (in breeding also in small groups) on the lower side of leaves and the stems into the plant hairs. The larvae feed in mines from the lower sides of the leaves and hibernate in the litter. An estivation is also observed, especially in dry lowlands. In spring they cause roundish mines on Onopordum (seen as light or brownish spots from above) and rest on the lower side of the leaves when not feeding. When feeding the older larvae only enter the mine with their front body parts. In the case of softer leaves e.g. Centaurea they create larger mines which they often enter fully (observed in Romania, Pâclele near Berca). Pupation takes place in a cocoon in the soil. This coccon consists of two layers: one soft and coarse meshed outer and a dense and fine-meshed inner layer. The pupa rests vertically head-up in the cocoon and buries itself out of the cocoon to the top prior to emergence.

Remarks:
The Ponto-Mediterranean species is found from southern Slovakia and Istria across Hungary (here as in the whole of eastern Europe only very locally and scarce nowadays), eastern Romania and the Balkans, S-Russia, Asia Minor and the Caucasus region to Iran. In easternmost Lower Austria it has been found only once a century ago. In Croatia it is mainly found very locally but still on quite numerous sites especially along the coast and on some Islands like Hvar.

Even if the males show some peculiarities (thicker antennae than e.g. J. notata, just like the S-Italian J. tenuicornis, narrow wings, different coloration in comparison with J. chloros) they are best determined by examination of the genitalia. The fresh females, however, are easily recognized in SE-Europe because they have no scales on the last abdominal sternites.

Mature larvae are similar to those of J. chloros, but show less dense and less homogenous black dottings.