Host plant suitability and altitudinal variation in cocoon size of the Indian Tarsar Silk Moth Antheraea mylitta Drury (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

"An experimental rearing of Antheraea mylitta Drury was carried out in the rearing fields at Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Mayurbhanj, Odisha, India, during the rainy season under somewhat natural conditions on live host plants. Female larvae were reared at three elevations utilizing the same eight host plant species, viz. Asan (Terminalia alata W. & A.) in family Combretaceae, Arjun (Terminalia arjuna W. & A.) (Combretaceae), Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn) (Dipterocarpaceae), Ber (Ziziphus jujuba Gaertn) (Rhamnaceae), Sidha (Lagerstroemia parviflora Roxb.) (Lythraceae), Dha (Anogeissus latifolia Wall.) (Combretaceae), Bahada (Terminalia belerica (Gaertn) Roxb.) (Combretaceae) and Jamun (Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels) (Myrtaceae) at each location. The larval growth on various host plants was evaluated in terms of the size, weight, and volume of the resulting cocoons. The host plant that produced the highest quality cocoons at all the elevations is Sal (Shorea robusta). The least suitable host plant at all the elevations is Jamun (Syzygium cumini). Results for all the eight species of host plants and the influence of parameters related to elevation are presented in detail. The data may be useful for selecting alternate host plants that might aid the sericulture industry in those situations when the "optimal" plant species are not available."