Study on the Feeding Habit of Hepialus pui Larvae

The feeding habit of Hepialus may be involved in the parasitic process of Cordyceps sinensis. To study the feeding habit of Hepialus pui Zhang et al. larva in Tibet Mountain Sejila, the rDNA internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) were cloned and sequenced from 26 species vegetations that distributed in A, B, and C sample area. According to these ITS sequences, the species-specific PCR primers were designed to detect vegetation residues in larval foregut. The results showed that H. pui larva was a polyphagous phytophagous insect mainly feeding on tender roots of almost all alpine shrub plants distributed in 15 families and 23 genera. The larva´s favourite foods are the roots of Ranunculus brotherusii, Cyananthus macrocalyx, Juncus leucanthus and Veronica ciliate.