The Very Hungry Caterpillar: Plant-Insect Interactions with Giant Silkmoths from NE India

Speaker:  Dr. Sudeshna Mazumdar-Leighton, Associate Professor in Botany, Delhi University

Chair: Professor H.Y. Mohan Ram

The old adage “You are what you eat” is particularly suited to caterpillars that grow into butterflies and moths. Plants chosen by caterpillars as food are intricately linked to the history (and success) of their lives as a population, race, and species. Sex, health, war, invasion and communication are all facets influenced by the choice of plants eaten by caterpillars. The giant Saturniid silkworms that feed on endemic species of plants from NE India are a less-understood but a fascinating tropical system to unravel. Lessons learnt from the biology of these insects and their host plants may be useful for improving the traditional vanya  silk (Muga and Eri) industries of the region