What are the host plants of phane or mopane worms (gonimbrasia belina) ?
Of course we all know that phane worms are found on mopane trees but what other trees do they thrive on ?
Mopane trees - Colophospermum mopane are found north of Windhoek, Polokwane and Palapye in Botswana,
See a distribution map of the trees here.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/428749-Colophospermum-mopane
Gonimbrasia belina are found also far further south where there is a very low possibilty that there are any mophane trees.
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/119995-Gonimbrasia-belina
So what do these southern mophane worms eat and what is there fav food here ?
I live in an area of rocky basalt hillsides in Serowe, Central Botswana where there are no Colophospermum mopane trees nearby. There are a few which have been experimentally planted about 12 km to the East. However adult mopane moths are abundant in November, attracted to light in my garden. I have never seen a mopane worm on trees in my area despite a lot of searching.
I wonder how far the adult can fly ? 12 km ?
Common trees in my neighbourhood ( with the most abundant at the top) are
vachellia tortilis
Terminalia prunioides
Senegalia nigrescens
combretum imberbe
Sclerocarya birrea
Elaeodendron transvaalense
Kirkia acuminata
Ziziphus mucronata
Vachellia nilotica
Combretum molle
Commiphora glandulosa
Senegalia mellifera
Pappea capensis
Peltophorum africanum
Commiphora mollis
Bridelia mollis
Gymnosporia senegalensis
Dichrostachys cinerea
Dombeya rotundifolia
Vachellia luederitzii var. luederitzii
Which of these are Phane worms most likely to eat and survive on to reach adulthood ?
What are the experiences of other people looking for the host plants of mopane worms ?
Here are some inat observations of mopane worms and their host plants south of the colophospermum mopane tree area. Please help ID these host plantsl
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11176658
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68631358
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/144409824
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/102756529
Perhaps iNaturalist will be able to find more information about the host plants of mophane worms.
Does anyone have more information about host plants. Please include it in the comment section.
Thank you.
Tony Benn from Serowe, Central Botswana.
Kommentarer
Any thoughts or further information please ?
@karoopixie @qgrobler @suncana @magdastlucia @riana60 @tuli @tonyrebelo @johanheyns @jaheymans @wilfachim @katebraunsd @moira_fitzpatrick
African Moths and AfroMoths websites list a whole range of food trees for this one.Go check there
Observations of Gonimbrasia belina eating so far: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=119995&verifiable=any&field:Eating:%20(Interaction)=
(not enough for an analysis ...)
Thanks so much @qgrobler and @tonyrebelo . There is some research being done on rearing mopane worms at my local Botswana International University of Science and Technology , BIUST.. Im sure iNaturalists making observations of the worms, adult moths and host plants could play a useful role. We need to show the real scientists that Citizen Science by non-scientists like me could play a useful role
See this Facebook article by Dr Adelaide Gotcha .https://web.facebook.com/adelaide.gotcha.79/posts/pfbid07i9zXahXS49E8EDdEY7yEkPmxGCe2smRuEc8YpCtj3EwKNwuFaMaF8vimKAeHYLfl?comment_id=733175442180393¬if_id=1700625493779610¬if_t=feed_comment_reply&ref=notif
List of food plants on the Afromoths website.
https://www.afromoths.net/species/28515
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