Semi-captive rearing of the African wild silkmoth Gonometa postica (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) on an indigenous and a non-indigenous host plant in Kenya

Ngoka, Boniface M.; Kioko, Esther; Raina, Satish; Mueke, J. M.; Kimbu, D.M.

doi:10.1017/s1742758407883160

Cited by 25 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The findings of the present study on cocoon weight and size corroborate those of E.N. Kioko (Ph.D. thesis, 1998), Ngoka et al (2008) and Veldtman et al (2002), whereas larval development periods of G. postica were longer and shorter than those reported by E.N. Kioko (Ph.D. thesis, 1998) and Ngoka et al (2008), respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…The cocoons were kept in a 2 × 2 × 2 m net sleeve cage (Ngoka et al 2008) until emergence of moths. Enclosed in the cage was a short-trimmed Acacia plant to provide a point of attachment for the emerging moths.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There were ten sets for each host plant species, comprising ten plants with the net sleeves enclosing the larvae. The period between hatching of the eggs and spinning of cocoons was recorded as the larval period (Ngoka et al 2008).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of seasons and larval food plants on the quality of Gonometa postica cocoons

et al. 2010

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The effect of food plants [Acacia elatior Brenan, A. tortilis (Forssk.) and A. nilotica (L.) Del.] on the development time of Gonometa postica Walker (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) larvae and the quality of their cocoons was studied in the Imba and Mumoni forests of Mwingi, Eastern Kenya, during the long (March-May) and short (October-December) rainy seasons of 2006 and 2007. Larvae were reared in semi-captivity in net sleeves attached to branches of the plants.The period between hatching of eggs and spinning of cocoons, as well as their weight, as determinants of cocoon quality were recorded. In addition, collections of cocoons from the wild were done in the two forests from the same host plants for assessment of their quality. In the cage experiment, larval development period and quality of cocoons differed according to food plants, seasons and sites, whereas quality of cocoons sampled from the wild habitat was similar for all food plants and seasons but varied according to site. Generally, there was a positive correlation between weight of cocoon, its length and width for the two seasons for both the semi-captive population and those from the wild. Larvae reared on A. elatior had a shorter development period and higher cocoon quality than those raised on A. tortilis and A. nilotica. Generally, temperature and relative humidity significantly influenced larval development time and the effect was both positive and negative. Rainfall was generally higher in Mumoni than in Imba. The implications of the above findings for the semi-captive rearing of G. postica to increase the quality of cocoons are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of seasons and larval food plants on the quality of Gonometa postica cocoons

et al. 2010

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“…The communities had stored the empty cocoon shells for a half decade, because they had no use for them after removing the pupae for sale. The second samples were obtained from larvae reared in semi-captivity in two continuous rains seasons of April and October 2008, which was less than a year [10]. These sample cocoons are referred to as old and fresh cocoons, respectively, in this study.…”

Section: Collection Of Cocoon Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extraction of Natural Silk Fibre from Cocoons of Argema mimosae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Ngoka¹,

Nguku²,

Kioko³

et al. 2015

JAST-A

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Abstract:In recent years, numerous actions for sustainable exploitation of forest resources have been undertaken, but few deal with commercialization of forest insects. Several tree based insect products, like wild silk, can be linked with forest conservation activities to provide livelihood services of different economic scales to forest dependent people. African wild silkmoth, Argema mimosae Boisduval, is one of the forest insects, a moth in the family of Saturniidae producing wild silk, but there is need for definite procedures for extracting silk fibre from its cocoons. This study evaluated physical characteristics of the A. mimosae cocoons and outlined a procedure to extract viable silk fibre for use in silk industry. Cocoons of the A. mimosae were collected from natural forest of Arabuko-Sokoke, Kenya (3°20′ S, 39°55′ E), and others obtained by semi-captive rearing of the silkmoth larvae. The cocoons of A. mimosae were described to be silvery in colour, tough and thick with distinctive perforations on the surface and a prominent valve-like opening with loose filaments at one end. The study recorded 120 min as the optimum boiling time for the cocoons to yield silvery brown silk floss using sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) as the degumming agent. Cocoons boiled in distilled water could not be deflossed into floss, but remained hard and intact, as compared with those of the control, Bombyx mori. This reveals that A. mimosae cocoons can be processed for natural silk fibre production and offer communities adjacent to forests an excellent opportunity to engage in production of natural wild silk.

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“…Information on the relative abundance and distribution of G. postica and its host plants in East Africa is lacking (Ngoka et al 2008) or is inadequate for proper management decisions on the conservation and sustainable utilisation of this important wild silkmoth and its host plant species (Kioko et al , 2007Raina 2004;Raina et al 2007). There is often a lack of basic data on the level and spatial distribution of biodiversity (Teder et al 2007).…”

Section: G Postica Abundance and Host Plant Diversity Density And mentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring wild silkmoth, Gonometa postica Walker, abundance, host plant diversity and distribution in Imba and Mumoni woodlands in Mwingi, Kenya

Fening¹,

Kioko²,

Raina³

et al. 2008

International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management

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SUMMARYA survey of the abundance of larvae and pupae of Gonometa postica Walker and their host plants was undertaken in the long rainy season in 2006 at six sites in the Imba and Mumoni forests of Mwingi, eastern Kenya. One hundred trees of the primary host species of G. postica were sampled at each site, in addition to minor host species with G. postica pupae. The density of each tree species was calculated and the height, canopy, diameter and number of branches were measured. In order of decreasing abundance, the host plants in Imba forest were Acacia tortilis, A. elatior and A. nilotica, and in Mumoni forest, A. tortilis, A. nilotica, A. mellifera and A. brevispica. A. elatior had significantly more larvae than the other host plants in Imba. In Mumoni, A tortilis and A. mellifera had significantly more larvae, followed by A. nilotica and A. brevispica. The minor host plants harbour significantly more pupae than the major host plants in the two forests. In general, Imba had a significantly higher abundance of larvae and pupae than Mumoni. Host plant species richness did not differ between the two forests, but their evenness was significantly higher in Imba than in Mumoni.

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Semi-captive rearing of the African wild silkmoth Gonometa postica (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) on an indigenous and a non-indigenous host plant in Kenya

Cited by 25 publications

References 3 publications

Effect of seasons and larval food plants on the quality of Gonometa postica cocoons

Effect of seasons and larval food plants on the quality of Gonometa postica cocoons

Extraction of Natural Silk Fibre from Cocoons of Argema mimosae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

Monitoring wild silkmoth, Gonometa postica Walker, abundance, host plant diversity and distribution in Imba and Mumoni woodlands in Mwingi, Kenya

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