Melitaea pseudornata Muñoz Sariot & Sánchez Mesa, 2019

Host plants:
The larvae feed on thistles, especially Cirsium, Carduus and also Onopordum. I recorded mature larvae on an undetermined thistle (non-flowering leaf rosette) near Molina de Aragon in early April 2023.

Habitat:
Melitaea pseudornata inhabits grasslands, pastures, garrigues and generally open, dry and hot habitats in medium-high altitudes between about 700 and 1600m.

Life cycle:
The adults usually occur between late April and June, but possibly regionally also in a partial second generation in summer. The larva hibernates and lives singly or in small groups afterwards.They are able to bypass relative long distances between two thistle plants. They are mature (L7) between late March (Andalucia) and May (higher altitudes).

Remarks:
Melitaea pseudornata is distributed in larger parts of the Iberian Peninsula and occurs especially in mountainous regions. Individuals of M. ornata from the French Provence may belong to this taxon, too. The taxonomy of this group is still not stable.

Literature:
Hinojosa, J.C., Tóth, J.P., Monasterio, Y., Sánchez Mesa, L., Muñoz Sariot, M.G., Escobés, R. & R. Vila (2022): Integrative Taxonomy Reveals a New Melitaea (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Species Widely Distributed in the Iberian Peninsula. — Insect Systematics and Diversity, 6 (2): 1; 1–9.