Southern African Mothss Dagbok

Hermann's book is out, and it is a must have!

Authoritative and informative, Southern African Moths & their Caterpillars provides a comprehensive overview of the moth fauna of the region.

Featuring more than 1,500 of the 11,000 species occurring in southern Africa.
The guide features the most abundant species, and those of economical or ecological importance, conspicuous or unusual.
The guide offers:

• Authoritative text richly supported with photographs of both adult moth and larva.
• Clear ID pointers plus information on biology, habitat and distribution.
• An informative introduction covering evolution, life cycle, diversity and ecological importance of moths.

446 pages. About R550.

The publishers say:
As the only substantive and up-to-date guide to the rich moth fauna of the wider southern African region, this volume fills a gap in the natural history books of Africa. Furthermore, it includes data from citizen science project The Caterpillar Rearing Group to depict caterpillar stage and respective host plant/s for a sizeable proportion of the southern African moth fauna. Based on more than 270,000 location records, preferred habitats and point-based distribution maps are provided for the first time. A crucial addition to our understanding of the wildlife of the African continent.

Get your copies now.

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.