© Society for Tropical Ecology DIET BREADTH AND HOST PLANT RELATIONSHIPS OF SOUTHEAST-ASIAN SPHINGID CATERPILLARS

Abstract. We investigated larval host plant relationships of hawkmoth species (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from Southeast-Asia and Malesia, using a compilation of published and unpublished host plant records. We found that diet breadth (the number of recorded host plant families) and the diversity of utilized host plants differ between sphingid subfamilies and tribes. In addition, significant variation in host plant composition can be found between subfamilies. Our data suggests an influence of sphingid phylogeny on host plant utilization. We found no differences in diet breadth between tropical, SE-Asian sphingids and temperate, European species, confirming earlier results from several butterfly families, although there may be differences between the two regions in the host spectrum utilized. There is no indication that host plant distribution limits the geographical distribution of sphingid moths. Sampling biases, the possibility of local host plant adaptation and their potential impact on the use of host plant compilations from different regions are discussed and illustrated by examples from our data. Accepted 15 March 2006