The researchers focused on Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), a microscopic parasite. It infects butterflies during their caterpillar stage when they eat plant leaves contaminated with spores. The ...

Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) is a protozoan parasite that can hamper a butterfly's growth and flight. Caterpillars can become infected by eating spores on the surface of plants, and the resulting ...

The name of the parasite is called the Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. Researchers found that of the 61 butterfly species sampled, five were infected with cases going back as far as 1909. “A lot of ...