NOTE Eur. J. Entomol. 112(2): 393–397, 2015 doi: 10.14411/eje.2015.031 ISSN 1210-5759 (print), 1802-8829 (online) Potential pollinator of Vanda falcata (Orchidaceae): Theretra (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) hawkmoths are visitors of long spurred orchid KENJI SUETSUGU 1, KOJI TANAKA2, YUDAI OKUYAMA3 and TOMOHISA YUKAWA3 1 Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Nihonmatsu-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; e-mail:
[email protected] 2 349 Yamamoto, Minami, Kokura, Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka 803-0264, Japan; e-mail:
[email protected] 3 Tsukuba Botanical Garden, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan; e-mails:
[email protected];
[email protected] Key words. Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Theretra, Orchidaceae, Aeridinae, Vanda falcata, hawkmoth, orchid, pollinator Abstract. Vanda falcata is a species of orchid native to China, Korea and Japan. While it is arguably one of the most celebrated orchids in Japan there is no information on its pollinators. Although most species of the subtribe Aeridinae, to which V. falcata belongs, have a short spur, V. falcata has a long spur. The results of the current study provide strong evidence that V. falcata is pollinated by long- tongued hawkmoths (Theretra spp.), which indicates that the evolution of long spurs in V. falcata could be an adaptation to pollination by long-tongued moths. INTRODUCTION Vanda is comprised of approximately 70 epiphytic or lithophytic species and is widely distributed throughout East Asia in China, The unique morphology of orchid flowers has always been a Korea and Japan, and in Southeast Asia, from India and Nepal source of fascination and their floral diversity has inspired many southwards through the Philippines and Indonesia, all the way biologists since the 19th Century, including Charles Darwin (Dar- to northern Australia and the Solomon Islands (Govaerts, 2012; win, 1862).