Larval food plants of emperor moths and hawkmoths of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivli, Mumbai (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae and Sphingidae)

Abstract

Ecological studies were conducted on the moths of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, with special reference to the Families Saturniidae and Sphingidae. Three species of Emperor moths and 32 species of Hawkmoths were recorded, of these the life histories of 26 species were studied (3 Saturnids, 23 Sphingids). For Family Saturniidae, 10 new larval food plants have been added to the 80 known species for 2 Emperor moths. For Family Sphingidae, 33 new larval food plants have been added to the 111 known species for 20 Hawkmoths. A brief overview of the larval food plants in terms of preferences, abundance and resource sharing are covered in this paper.