- Olepa schleini
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Olepa schleini Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Arctiidae Genus: Olepa Species: O. schleini Binomial name Olepa schleini
Witt et al., 2005Olepa schleini is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is endemic to the coastal regions of Israel. The species was discovered in 2005 and is named for the entomologist and sculptor Yosef Schlein.
The larvae only feed on Ricinus communis, which is curious because this plants produces the natural insecticide ricin.
According to the author, the species is in fact a biblical moth species mentioned in the Book of Jonah, in which there is a description of a worm that, nightly, infested a kikayon (Ricinus) plant, and caused it to wither. The larvae of the recently described Olepa schleini are the only insects which regularly infest Ricinus communis in Israel and adjacent countries. The aggregation of larvae on particular trees, with the unusual feeding that includes the stems, causes massive damage and withering of this plant.
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