Seasonality and Abundance Of Sphingids in a Garden on the Lower Slopes of the Uluguru Mountains in Morogoro Township in Tanzania

Kingston, Alice; Nummelin, Matti

doi:10.2982/0012-8317(1998)87[213:saaosi]2.0.co;2

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In the drylands of Kenya, hawkmoths are constrained by availability and distribution of larval foodplants as well as flowers for the adults to feed from. The seasonal abundance of hawkmoths observed is consistent with data for the region from museum specimens and earlier widespread collecting (Pinhey, 1962;Carcasson, 1976), as well as from other regional studies that focused on collecting hawkmoths (Taylor & Brown, 1972;Robertson, 1977;Kingston & Nummelin, 1998). This pattern is also consistent with studies from other parts of the tropics (Owen, 1969) and the wet-dry seasonal regions of the neotropics where hawkmoths have been studied (Haber & Frankie, 1989;Agosta & Janzen, 2005).…”

Section: Hawkmoth Foragingsupporting

confidence: 88%

Interactions between hawkmoths and flowering plants in East Africa: polyphagy and evolutionary specialization in an ecological context

Martins

Johnson

2013

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

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Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) are considered important pollinators in tropical regions, but the frequency and degree of reciprocal specialization of interactions between hawkmoths and flowers remain poorly understood. Detailed observations at two sites in Kenya over a two‐year period indicate that adult hawkmoths are routinely polyphagous and opportunistic, regardless of their proboscis length. About 700 individuals of 13 hawkmoth species were observed visiting a wide range of plant species at the study sites, including 25 taxa that appear to be specifically adapted for pollination by hawkmoths. We estimate that 277 plant species in Kenya (c. 4.61% of the total angiosperm flora) are adapted for pollination by hawkmoths. Floral tube lengths of these plants have a bimodal distribution, reflecting the existence of two hawkmoth guilds differing in tongue length. Hawkmoths exhibited strongly crepuscular foraging patterns with activity confined to a 20‐min period at dusk and, in some cases, a similar period just before dawn. Corolla tube length appears to act as a mechanical filter as the longest‐tubed plants were visited by the fewest hawkmoth species and these were exclusively from the long‐tongued guild. Tube length showed a strong positive relationship with nectar volume, even after phylogenetic correction, which implies that plants with long corolla tubes are under selection to offer relatively large amounts of nectar to entice visits by polyphagous long‐tongued hawkmoths. Our study shows that diffusely co‐evolved pollination systems involving long‐tongued hawkmoths are clearly asymmetrical, with plants exhibiting a high degree of floral specialization, while hawkmoths exhibit polyphagous behaviour. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110, 199–213.

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Section: Hawkmoth Foragingsupporting

confidence: 88%

Interactions between hawkmoths and flowering plants in East Africa: polyphagy and evolutionary specialization in an ecological context

Martins

Johnson

2013

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

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“…No data are provided on the exact tongue-length of C. circe other than it being ''long and thick'' (Carcasson, 1968(Carcasson, , 1976. Long-tongued and other hawkmoths are abundant at the beginning and after the rainy seasons in East Africa (Pinhey, 1962;Robertson, 1977;Kingston and Nummelin, 1998). This seasonal peaking of adult hawkmoth abundance (Owen, 1969;Carcasson, 1976) appears to be tracked by the flowering phenology of the orchids in this study (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Hawkmoth pollination of aerangoid orchids in Kenya, with special reference to nectar sugar concentration gradients in the floral spurs

Martins

Johnson

2007

American J of Botany

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The African orchid flora has a high proportion of species with long-spurred white flowers. Few data exist to test the prediction that this floral syndrome pattern reflects an important role for hawkmoth pollination in the evolution and ecology of these orchids. The pollination biology of five aerangoid orchid species (Rangaeris amaniensis, Aerangis brachycarpa, A. confusa, A. thomsonii, and A. kotschyana) was investigated in Kenya. Four of these have long spurs (>10 cm) and were pollinated by Agrius convolvuli and Coelonia fulvinotata. Aerangis confusa, which has relatively short spurs (ca. 4 cm), was pollinated by the short-tongued hawkmoths Hippotion celerio and Daphnis nerii. Nectar frequently filled the entire spur in some of the study species, even at anthesis. Sugar concentration of the nectar of four species was found to vary from ca. 1% at the mouth of the spur to 20% at the tip. Gradients were expressed more strongly in species with long, straight spurs. Species with spirally twisted spurs showed both steep and shallow nectar gradients. These gradients, previously unknown in plants, may function as a "sugar trail," enticing long-tongued hawkmoths to probe deeply into spurs without incurring the cost of filling an entire spur with concentrated nectar. In addition, the most concentrated nectar is kept out of reach of short-tongued pollinators.

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“…These species were Centroctena imitans, Cephonodes hylas, Neoclanis basalis, and Temnora atrofasciata (Appendix 1). On the other hand, Euchloron Megaera and Nephele comma were recorded as among the most common and abundant species by Kingstone & Nummelin [35] and Kioko et al [45] concordant with this present study. None of the Sphingid species caught were endemic to Tanzania in this study, although species such as Chaerocina livingstonensis and Macropoliana scheveni are known to be endemic to Tanzania [35,46].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Hawkmoth species sampled in the East Usambara Mountains by this study represent about 63% of all Sphingid species sampled on the lower slopes of the Uluguru Mountains located in the eastern part of Tanzania [35]. Moreover, this study includes about 21% of all Sphingid species known from Tanzania [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity and Abundance of a Pollinator Group: Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in Forests and Surrounding Farmlands, East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania

Selemani

2022

IJESNR

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Pollinators are now facing a drastic biodiversity fall in various parts of our world. In Africa data to measure and monitor their biodiversity trend is still inadequate and concentrated more on some insect pollinator groups, especially bees and butterflies. In this study, hawkmoth diversity and abundance in East Usambara Mountains were assessed. Data collection was conducted from three different habitat types that included thick vegetation assemblage with canopy cover, edges of the forest, and farmlands between 2017 and 2019. Hawkmoths were captured using a UVlight trap 250W mercury bulb in 12 sampling sites. A total of 35 hawkmoth species and 991 individuals belonging to the family Sphingidae were identified. The highest hawkmoth abundance was recorded from forest edges (p < 0.05). Canopy cover and farmlands showed lower hawkmoth abundance. Accordingly, higher Shannon Weiner diversity indices were recorded from canopy cover and forest edges (p < 0.05). Farmlands had the lowest Shannon Weiner diversity index. Differences in diversity and abundance of hawkmoths among three habitat types suggest that accelerating anthropogenic factors has led to the destruction of natural habitats. Meanwhile, natural habitat destruction has often been found to exert adverse effects on biodiversity. Moreover, the decline in biodiversity of pollinator insects like hawkmoths hinders the vital pollination service to both crops and wild flora. East Usambara Mountains are still an important refuge for many species that become restricted to different environments due to climate change and anthropogenic pressure, hence calling for regular pollinator conservation and monitoring. This study will provide the baseline data on hawkmoth species richness, abundances and diversity for potential conservation and monitoring programs.

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Seasonality and Abundance Of Sphingids in a Garden on the Lower Slopes of the Uluguru Mountains in Morogoro Township in Tanzania

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

Interactions between hawkmoths and flowering plants in East Africa: polyphagy and evolutionary specialization in an ecological context

Interactions between hawkmoths and flowering plants in East Africa: polyphagy and evolutionary specialization in an ecological context

Hawkmoth pollination of aerangoid orchids in Kenya, with special reference to nectar sugar concentration gradients in the floral spurs

Diversity and Abundance of a Pollinator Group: Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in Forests and Surrounding Farmlands, East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania

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