Among hawkmoths (Sphingidae, Lepidoptera), Macroglossinae dominate pollen transportation in central and East Himalaya (North-East India)

Abstract

The role of hawkmoths in pollination is surprisingly understudied in tropical Asia and most of the studies related to flower visitation recordings lack a robust assessment. From India, very few research papers could be reviewed on the pollination ecology of hawkmoths. Herein, we analyzed the interactions of 109 individuals in 39 hawkmoth species to study their role as pollen transporters and potential pollinators. 67 individuals (61.47%), accounting for 29 species (74.35%), are found to be pollen carrier moths (PCM). The hawkmoths transported pollen from 16 plant families, with Ericaceae dominating the pollen composition (33.37% of total pollen grains). The pollen spectra (based on pollen abundance and relative pollen frequency) revealed that 44 PCM (18 species) came from Macroglossinae, followed by 16 PCM (7 species) from Smerinthinae, and 7 PCM (4 species) from Sphinginae. Macroglossinae transported pollen of 14 plant families. The value of selectivity (H2’) is 0.77 for the pollen transportation network and 0.36 for the moth-plant visitation network. We followed the refined method of pollen extraction from proboscides, rather than swabbing body parts, which enabled us to assess pollen carrying capacity in a refined way. Considering the scenario of the declining global pollinators, largely affecting crop production, moths are the least concerned insects for conservation and management. The outcome of the present study will help in strengthening the baseline information for expanding plant-moth interaction network-related studies and considering the least concerned groups of insects in the conservation policies.