Raigad district of Maharashtra as a possible metapopulation and host plant rich area for Attacus atlas Lin. (Lepidoptera: Saturnidae)

ABSTRACT Attacus atlas Lin. (Lepidoptera: Saturnidae) is wild and largest Silkmoth. Its cocoons are used to make a durable silk called “Fagara Silk”. Standard rearing technique of A. atlas is yet to be established. Ecology plays an important role for establishment of rearing technique. Therefore, occurrence, host plants, distribution, habitats, biotic and abiotic factors have been studied from Raigad district of Maharashtra. Although reported from almost all districts of western Maharashtra, its major occurrence was noted in Raigad district since host plant diversity including mangroove plants Rhizophora mucronata P. R. apiculata B. and Thespecia populnea Lin. was probably rich. T. populnea was found along entire riverine vegetation of river Savitri. A. atlas was recorded feeding on leaves of 12 host plants including Ficus carica L. Ricinus communis L., Annona squamosa L, Ocimum sanctum L. Mangifera indica L., Psidium guajava L., Eucalyptus sp, etc. indicating Raigad district of Maharashtra as a metapopulation and host plant rich area for A. atlas. Key words - Attacus atlas, wild silk moth, host plants, mangrove, metapopulation, Raigad. REFERENCES Beeson, C.F.C. The Ecology and Control of the Forest Insects of India and Neighbouring Countries, Vasant Press, Dehra Dun, India.767 (1941). Bradly, D.J, Kjellborm, P. and Lamb, C.J. Eolicitor- and wound-induced oxidative cross-linking of a proline rich plant cell wall protein: A novel, rapid defence response. Cell, 70: 21-30 (1992). Butler, L.G. Effects of condensed tannins on animal nutrition. In: Chemistry and significance of condensed tannins. R.W.Hemmingway and J.J.Karchesy (eds). Plenum Press, New York, 391-402 (1989). Chopra, R.N., Nayar, S.L. and Chopra, I.C. 1956. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants, New Delhi, CSIR, New Delhi,330 (1956). Das, A.K., Dev Roy, M.K. and Mitra, B. 1988. Insect borers of mangroves in the Bay islands. J. Andaman Sci. Assoc., 4:32-38(1988). Jolly M.S, Chaturvedi S.N and S.A Prasad. Non mulberry sericulture in India.CSB, Mumbai, 28-73. (1977). Kavane R.P and T.V Sathe. Wild silk technology. Daya Publishing House, New Delhi. 1-244 (2011). Kavane R.P and T.V Sathe. Preliminary rearing technique for Attacus atlas (Lepidoptera: Saturnidae) a wild silkworm of India. Biolife,2(4),1305-1309 (2014). Kavane R.P and T.V Sathe. Rearing technique for Actias selene Hubner (Lepidoptera: Saturnidae). Biolife,3(1)1-6 (2015). Michener, C.D. The Saturniidae (Lepidoptera) of the Western Hemisphere: Morphology, Phylogeny and classification. Bull. Am. Mus.Nat. Hist., 98: 335-502 (1952). Mulholland, D.A., Parel, B., Coombes, P.H. The Chemistry of the meliaceae and ptaeroxylaceae of Southern and Eastern Africa and Madagascar. Curr. Org. Chem, 4:1011-1054. (2000). Murphy, D.H. The natural history of insect herbivory on mangrove trees in and near Singapore. Raffles Bull. Zool, 38: 119-203. (1990) Peigler, R. S. A revision of the Indo-Australian genus Attacus. Lepidoptera Research Foundation, Inc., Beverly Hills, California, xi+167 (1989). Ridley, H.N. Attacus atlas and rubber. Agric. Bull. Str. Malay St. 5,401 (1906). Lingaiah, Estari Mamidala and P. Nagaraja Rao (2015). An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants extracts used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the Utnoor Mandal of Adilabad dist, Telangana, India. Biolife. 3(4); 937-945. DOI: 10.17812/blj.2015.3429 Sahu, A.K. and Bindra, B.B. Wild silk moth biodiversity in the north eastern region of India: need for conservation. Ind. Silk,46: 16-19 (2007). Saikia B and Handique R. Biology of wild silkmoth Attacus atlas L. Proc. III rd Int. Nat. conf. on wild silk moth. pp 345-347 (1998). Sathe T. V. Biodiversity of wild silkmoths from western Maharashtra, India. Bull. Indian Acad. Seri; 2 (1), 21-24(2007). Sathe T. V. Parasitism potential of Xanthopimpla predator Fab. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) with respect to some silkworms and agricultural pests. J. Adv. Zool., 35 (2), 117-120 (2014). Sathe T. V and R. P. Kavane. Biology of Attacus atlas (Lepidoptera: Saturnidae), a wild silkworm of India. Indian J.Appl. Res, 4 (10), 4-7 (2014). Veenakumari, K., Mohanraj, P. and Peigler, R. S. Life history of Attacus mcmuleni (Saturniidae) from the Andaman Islands, India. Res. J. Lepidoptera, 31 (3-4): 169-179 (1992). Veenakumari, K., Mohanraj, P. and Bandyopadhyay, A.K. Insect herbivores and their natural enemies in the mangals of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.J.Nat. Hist., 31: 1105-1126 (1997)