Species composition and host specificity of caterpillars (Lepidoptera) along an altitudinal gradient

This was a collaborative project with the Sangamanga Environment and Culture Preservation group (SCEP) and with Simbu Bioresearch in Mu Village, Simbu Province. The study surveyed caterpillar communities of selected trees (e.g., Ficus, Macaranga, and Piper spp.). Some of these trees (Ficus wassa, F. dammaropis, F. copiosa) were also studied in lowland forests of Madang, which makes possible a comparison between caterpillar communities feeding on the same host at respectively 100 m and 1,800 m asl.

Study leaders at our Center: V. Novotny, B. Kaupa, J. Kua and M. Mogia