Lipid profile of plants influence host selection by gustatory sensilla In the larvae of antheraea assama westwood (lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

A. assama Westwood, the producer of golden silk, is a lepidopteran insect endemic to northeastern India.They are polyphagous, but thrive primarily on two host plants, Persea bombycina Kost. and Litsea monopetala Roxb.. Food choice test of larvae of A. assama retaining specific peripheral gustatory sensilla, carried out using lipid fractions of host plants, Persea bombycina and Litsea monopetala and non-host plants namely Litsea grandifolia Teschner (Laurales: Lauraceae) and Ziziphus jujuba Miller (Rosales: Rhamnaceae) revealed that non-polar and medially polar lipids of non-host plants play key role in food rejection/selection and the galeal and labrum epipharyngeal sensilla are involved in the process.