Strong foraging preferences for Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae) in the polyphagous caterpillars of Buff tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)

Herbivorous insects such as butterflies and moths are essential to natural and agricultural systems due to pollination and pest outbreaks. However, our knowledge of butterflies’ and moths’ nutrition is fragmented and limited to few common, charismatic, or problematic species.
This gap precludes our complete understanding of herbivorous insects’ natural history, physiological and behavioural adaptations that drive how species interact with their environment, the consequences of habitat destruction and climate change to invertebrate biodiversity, and pest outbreak dynamics.
Here, we first report a population of the Buff tip moth Phalera bucephala (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) feeding on a previously unknown family of hostplants, the mountain currant Ribes alpinum (Saxifragales: Grossulariaceae). This is the first report of a Notodontid moth feeding on Grossulariaceae hosts.
Using no-choice and choice assays, we showed that P. bucephala has strong foraging preferences for a previous...