Studies on the biodiversity and ecological aspects of Tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta, Andhra local ecorace, in relation to other ecoraces

The polyphagous sericigenous insect, tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury is mostly found in the tropical areas of our country, feeding primarily on food plants like Terminalia arjuna and T. tomentosa a variety of secondary food plants. Tasar culture is a traditional livlihood for lakhs of tribal populace in the areas of Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. The present study depicts the variation in the different stages of tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury which is distributed in the form of ecoraces in varied geographical areas. From the studies it is observed that rich biological diversity of Antheraea mylitta mainly is due to its wide range of distribution, climatic factors, and food plants etc., which have led to made variations in their ethology, physiology and commercial traits.