Interactions between hawkmoths and flowering plants in East Africa: polyphagy and evolutionary specialization in an ecological context

Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) are considered important pollinators in tropical regions, but the frequency and degree of reciprocal specialization of interactions between hawkmoths and flowers remain poorly understood. Detailed observations at two sites in Kenya over a two-year period indicate that adult hawkmoths are routinely polyphagous and opportunistic, regardless of their proboscis length. About 700 individuals of 13 hawkmoth species...