The nutritional status of three species of plant leaves as food for the larvae of imbrasia belina, an edible caterpillar

The leaves of three species of plants, i.e. Colophospermum mophane (Mophane), Sclerocarya birrea (Morula) and Terminalia sericea (Mogonono), were chemically analysed for dietary nutrients. The leaves were also fed to larvae of Imbrasia belina, (Lepidoptera: Saturnudae), and the number of days taken for pupation was determined. The crude protein level in the leaves of the three plants was significantly different. This finding is consistent with the observation that adult moths prefer to lay their eggs on leaves of C. mophane even though they do not totally avoid S. birrea.