Appearance
It resembles some species from the related genus "Zygaena", and like them "Reissita simonyi" is toxic because it is able to biosynthesize hydrogen cyanide. The larvae feed on "Maytenus", specifically "M. dhofarensis" and "M. senegalensis".It has two subspecies:
⤷ "R. s. simonyi" at altitudes of 400–2,900 metres in Oman and eastern Yemen. Blackish with a bluish sheen and red spots.
⤷ "R. s. yemenicola" at altitudes of 350–900 metres in western Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia. Smaller than previous, and blackish with a greenish-blue sheen and red spots, or all red.
References:
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