Insects of Israel

A study of the taxonomy and distribution of the entire fauna with the aim of determining conservation needs

Olepa schleini Witt et al. 2005, an only recently discovered arctiid moth from Israel.

The project is a long-term study of the insect fauna of Israel in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority of Israel (Dr. R. Ortal), the Tel Aviv University (Dr. A. Freidberg; Dr. V. Kravchenko), the Hebrew University Jerusalem (Prof. Y. Schlein, Dr. G. Müller), and the Museum Witt, Munich, Germany. The project started in 1986 and in the past the main focus were butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera).

Scientists in Israeli are conducting long-term monitoring and collecting of insects in selected localities covering all important ecotypes represented in Israel. The ZSM and the Museum Witt is responsible for the zoosystematic examination of the material (Hausmann, A.; Segerer A.H.; Speidel, W.; Witt, T.). In recent years the several Israeli contributors (Dr. V. Kravchenko, University of Tel Aviv; Dr. G. Müller, University of Jerusalem) started to publish comprehensive revisions and faunistic contributions.

Further information

Detailed project description (source: Müller & Kravchenko 2005, in Schönitzer (ed.): Tiere und Kunst aus Israel; Berichte der Freunde der ZSM 2) (PDF, 1.1 MB)

Schmetterlinge im Land der Bibel (Quelle: Hausmann (2005), in Schönitzer (ed.): Tiere und Kunst aus Israel; Berichte der Freunde der ZSM 2) (PDF, 503 KB)

Olepa schleini: The re-discovery of a biblical moth species mentioned in the Book of Jonah (source: Hausmann (2005), in Schönitzer (ed.): Tiere und Kunst aus Israel; Berichte der Freunde der ZSM 2) (PDF, 510 KB)

Catalogue of the exhibition ‘Animals and Art from Israel’

List of publications concerning the fauna of Israel (Dr. A. Hausmann)

Hausmann, A. (1991): Taxonomische Untersuchungen an der Idaea obsoletaria RMB.-Gruppe (Lep., Geometridae). – Nachr.Bl. Bayer. Ent. 40 (2), 33-41.

Hausmann, A. (1991): Beitrag zur Geometridenfauna Palästinas: Die Spanner der KLAPPERICH-Ausbeute aus Jordanien (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). – Mitt. Münch. Ent. Ges. 81, 111-163.

Hausmann, A. (1992): Idaea fittkaui sp.n. aus Afghanistan mit weiteren Bemerkungen zur Systematik der 13. Gruppe der Gattung Idaea (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). – Nachr.Bl. Bayer. Ent. 41 (2): 46-55.

Hausmann, A. (1992): Nachtrag zur Geometridenfauna Jordaniens (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). – Nachr.Bl. Bayer. Ent. 41 (3): 98-100.

Hausmann, A. (1993): Revision of the Palearctic Species of the Genus Victoria Warren, 1897 (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). – Spixiana 16 (1): 53-60.

Hausmann, A. (1994): Notes on the Morphology of Some Little Known Species of the Genus Idaea Treitschke, 1825, in the Middle East (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Sterrhinae. – Bonner Zool. Nachr. 45 (1): 67-78.

Hausmann, A. (1994): Contribution to the morphology and the taxonomy of the species belonging to the genus Myinodes Meyrick, 1892 (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). – Nota lepid. 17 (2): 31-43.

Hausmann, A. (1995): Zur Systematik einiger ostmediterraner Geometridenarten (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). – Mitt. Münchn. Ent. Ges. 85: 73-78.

Hausmann, A. (1996): Systematic list of the geometrid moths of the Levant and neighbouring countries (Part I: Orthostixinae and Geometrinae). – Nota lepidopterologica 19 (1/2): 91-106.

Hausmann, A. (1996): The morphology of the geometrid moths of the Levant and neighbouring countries (Part I: Orthostixinae and Geometrinae). – Nota lepidopterologica 19 (1/2): 3-90.

Hausmann, A. (1997): The Lepidoptera of Israel: Faunistic Data on Geometridae I (Orthostixinae-Geometrinae). – Nota lepidopterologica 20 (1/2): 102-136.

Hausmann, A. (1997): The Geometrid Moths of various entomological collections in Israel (Lepidoptera, Geometridae). – Entomofauna 18, 1-19.

Hausmann, A. (1999): A new species of Nebula from the Sinai peninsula. – Spixiana

Hausmann, A. (2005): New geometrid species and subspecies from Israel and adjacent countries (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) (in prep.)

Hausmann, A. (2005): Distributional checklist of the geometrid moths of the Levant (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) (in prep.)

Müller, G. C., Kravchenko, V. D., Li, C., Miller, M., Eitschberger, U., Witt, T., Speidel, W., Hausmann, A. & R. Ortal (2005): Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of Israel: Distribution, Phenology and Ecology. – Atalanta 36 (1/2): 222-236.

Witt, T., Müller, G.C. Miller, M.A., Hausmann, A. & W. Speidel (2005): A new Olepa species from Israel (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). – NachrBl. bayer. Ent. Ges. 54 (3/4): 101-115. (PDF, 1.5 MB)

Hausmann, A. (2005): Schmetterlinge aus dem Land der Bibel. – Berichte der Freunde der ZSM 2: 18-21.

Hausmann, A. (2005): Olepa schleini : Wiederentdeckung eines biblischen Schmetterlings aus dem Buch Jona. – Berichte der Freunde der ZSM 2: 22-25.

Hausmann, A. (2006): Revision of the Idaea inquinata (SCOPOLI, 1763) species-group s. str. in the Middle East (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Sterrhinae). – Mitt. Münchn. Ent. Ges. 95: 37-47.

Müller, G.C., Kravchenko, V.D., Speidel, W., Hausmann, A., Ortal, R., Miller, M., Orlova, O.B. & T. Witt (2006): Distribution, phenology, ecology, behavior and conservation issues of the new Israeli tiger moth Olepa schleini WITT et al., 2005 (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). – Mitt. Münchn. Ent. Ges. 95: 19-29.

Müller, G.C., Kravchenko, V.D., Speidel, W., Hausmann, A., Orlova, O.B., Toledo, J. & T. Witt (2006): Description of early stages and laboratory breeding of Olepa schleini WITT et al., 2005 (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). – Mitt. Münchn. Ent. Ges. 95: 11-18.

Hausmann, A. & G.C. Müller (2006): The biblical worms on Jonah’s Ricinus were Olepa schleini larvae (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). – Mitt. Münchn. Ent. Ges. 95: 5-9.

Miller, M.A., Müller, G.C., Kravchenko, V.D., Junnila, A., Vernon, K.K., Matheson, C.D. & A. Hausmann (in print): DNA-based identification of Lepidoptera larvae and plant meals from their gut content. – Russ. Ent. J. (in print)

Hausmann, A. & G.C. Müller (2006): Caterpillars. In: The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 1 (A-C), Abington Press.

Hausmann, A. & G.C. Müller (2006): Bees. In: The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 1 (A-C), Abington Press.

Hausmann, A. & G.C. Müller (2006): Gadfly. In: The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 2 (D-G), Abington Press.

Hausmann, A. (2006): Ein Wurm für Jonas Zorn. – Faktum 26 (4): 30-32.

Müller, G.C., Kravchenko, V.D., Chikatunov, V., Ortal, R. , Orlova, O., Li, C., Witt, T., Speidel, W., Mooser, J. & A. Hausmann: General aspects of the Israeli Light-trap Network concerning Coleoptera. – Esperiana 12 (in print).

Kravchenko, V.D., Hausmann, A. & G.C. Müller : Deserticolous Noctuidae from Israel: New host-plant records and description of larval habitats (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). – Mitt. Münchn. Ent. Ges. 96: (in print).

Beitrag zur Systematik der Gattung Glossotrophia Prout, 1913: Die ersten Stände von G. sacraria ( Bang-Haas, 1910) (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Sterrhinae) – Mitt. Münchn. Ent. Ges. 96: (in print).

Matheson, C.D., Müller, G., Junnila, A., Vernon, K., Hausmann, A., Miller, M.A., Greenblatt, C. & Y. Schlein (2006): A PCR Method for Detection of Plant Meals from the Gut of Insects . – ODE Suppl. (submitted).

Hausmann, A. & G.C. Müller (2006): Hornet. In: The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 2 (D-G), Abington Press.

Hausmann, A., Miller, M.A. & G. Müller (2006): Molecular barcoding and larval gut content analysis. in Hausmann, A. (ed.) (2006): Proceedings of the Forum Herbulot 2006: Integration of molecular, ecological and morphological data: Recent progress towards the higher classification of the Geometridae ( Hobart, 19-20 January 2006). – Spixiana 29 (4), submitted.