The Municipality of Boukoko (3˚54'00''N, 17˚56'00''E) is located on the northern edge of the Congolese forest basin and receives an average rainfall of more than 1600 mm of rain per year. The Municipality of Boukoko is characterized by a great diversity of natural areas and a rich biodiversity. The forest cover remains intact outside areas that have been assigned to other uses (agriculture, housing or administrative sites). It enjoys a hot and humid equatorial climate [15] . This type of climate has two seasons: a rainy season characterized by abundant rainfall which extends from mid-March to mid-November and a dry season shorter than the previous one, mid-November to mid-March. Rainfall, according to climatic data taken from the station of the Central African Institute for Agronomic Research (ICRA) in Boukoko, the minimum average is 1448 mm in annual water height and 2418 mm in height of water for the maximum average. Temperatures vary greatly from 25˚C to 28˚C. The annual thermal amplitude is 20˚C for the month of February and a maximum of 23˚C for the month of August [16] . The vegetation of the Commune of Boukoko presents the same characteristics as that of the South-West of the CAR. The evergreen dense humid forest poorly represented in the CAR is confined to the south, the most common species of this very humid dense forest are: Triplochiton scleroxylon, Terminalia superba, Entadrophragma cylindricum etc. which are large trees with huge trunks that sometimes reach 50 or 60 meters in height [17] .

The choice of this study area was based on the availability of insects as a food source; the entomophagy character of the riparian populations; the presence of insect-feeding plants and increasing deforestation.

Before exploring forest resources, the map and other general information of the Commune of Boukoko were obtained from the Town Hall of this Commune. The questionnaire was prepared and used as a tool for collecting information. The questionnaire was addressed to the actors of the collection and consumption of caterpillars in this Commune, to their local knowledge concerning this food resource as well as the plants of their locality on which caterpillars are collected. The survey took place in June to October 2022 and as a general rule, the 120 respondents were elderly people whose age range varied from 35 to 70 years old. Plant samples are collected in their natural environment. Based on local names; herbaria are mounted, plants photographed and samples collected. The scientific names were identified by herbalists from the Ministry of Water and Forests of the Central African Republic and Research Teachers from the University of Bangui. The illustrated flora of CAR [18] was used to confirm the species names.

The types of edible caterpillars have been inventoried in the field in collaboration with the local populations who consume them. Based on local names, the caterpillars are captured manually from morphological traits and then stored in bottles containing 70% ethanol. The specimens were identified at the Laboratory of Applied Animal Biology and Biodiversity of the University of Bangui using the identification keys [19] - [24] .

The data was entered into the Excel spreadsheet which also made it possible to produce histograms with the frequencies of the plant species most valued by the different caterpillars. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was then performed using R software to highlight the correlation between caterpillars and host plants.

The leaves of Albizia ferruginea and Millettia barteri are the most cited as host plants of Imbrasia alopia while Milicia excelsa, Racosperma auriculiforme, Amphimas ferrugineus, Uapaca guineensis, Maesobotrya vermeulenii are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia alopia (Figure 1), Photo A1. According to [25] , Millettia barteri and Albizia ferruginea are the host plants of Imbrasia alopia.

The leaves of Aframomum alboviolaceum, Allophylus africanus, Ricinodendron heudelotii, Celtis gomphophylla and Manotes expansa are the most plants cited as host plants of Imbrasia anthina while Maesobotrya vermeulenii, Amphimas ferrugineus, Eribroma oblonga, Inga edulis, Pycnanthus angolensis, Ricinodendron heudelotii are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia anthina (Figure 2).

Similar works like those of [19] and [20] showed that Aframomum alboviolaceum, Allophylus africanus, Ricinodendron heudelotii, are the host plants of Imbrasia anthina in tropical America and Zambia.

The leaves of Manotes expansa, Chaetocarpus africanus, Dioscorea sp., Macaranga monandra, Erythrophleum ivorense and Allophylus africanus are the most cited as hosts of Imbrasia Eblis, while Lophira Alata, Millettia Laurentii, Rauvolfia Vomitoria, Uapaca Guineensis, Dichrostachys cinerea, Ricinodendron heudelottii are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia eblis (Figure 3), Photo A2.

The work done by [26] mentioned that Manotes expansa, Chaetocarpus africanus, Dioscorea sp. are vital plants of Imbrasia eblis.

The leaves of Allophylus africanus, Petersianthus macrocarpus, Milicia excelsa, Albizia ferruginea, Ricinodendron heudelottii, Inga edulis and Pentaclethra macrophylla are the most cited as host plants of Imbrasia epimethea, while Entada abyssinica, Milicia excelsa, Entandrophragma cylindricum, Pycnanthus angolensis are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia epimethea (Figure 4), Photo A3.

These results corroborate with [27] who showed that Allophylus africanus, Petersianthus macrocarpus, Milicia excelsa, Albizia ferruginea are the host plants of Imbrasia epimethea.

The leaves of Erythrophleum ivorense, Crossopteryx febrifuga, Macaranga spinosa,

Rauvolfia vomitoria, Maesopsis eminii, Macaranga monandra and Pentaclethra eetveldeana are the most cited as host plants of Imbrasia forda, while Uapaca guineensis, Manotes expansa, Amphimas ferrugineus, Ficus sp. are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia forda (Figure 5), Photo A4.

The work carried out by [5] and [28] revealed that Crossopteryx febrifuga, Erythrophleum suaveolens, Macaranga spinosa are the host plants of Imbrasia forda.

The leaves of Macaranga spinosa, Rauvolfia vomitoria, Amphimas ferrugineus, Dioscorea sp., Pentaclethra eetveldeana, Albizia ferruginea are the most cited plants of Imbrasia melanops, while Amphimas ferrugineus, Ricinodendron heudelotii, Erythrophleum ivorense, Holarrhena floribunda, Ficus sp. are the most cited plants of Imbrasia melanops (Figure 6).

The work conducted by [17] in the CAR revealed that Macaranga spinosa is the host of Imbrasia melanops which is the subject of a worldwide revenue-generating activity.

The leaves of Maesopsis eminii, Pentaclethra eetveldeana, Albizia ferruginea, Macaranga spinosa and Amphimas ferrugineus are the most cited as plants of Imbrasia obscura , while Manotes expansa, Erythrophleum ivorense, Uapaca

vanhouttei, are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia obscura (Figure 7), Photo A5. [28] documented that Pentaclethra eetveldeana and Macaranga spinosa are the host plants of Imbrasia obscura.

The leaves of Amphimas ferrugineus, Rauvolfia vomitoria, Albizia ferruginea, Allophylus africanus, Manotes expansa, and Uapaca vanhouttei of Imbrasia petiveri, while Entada abyssinica, Uapaca guineensis, Entandrophragma cylindricum are the less cited host plants of Imbrasia petiveri (Figure 8).

These results are similar to [8] and [29] who showed that Amphimas ferrugineus, Rauvolfia vomitoria, Albizia ferruginea, Allophylus africanus are the host plants of Imbrasia petiveri.

The leaves of Petersianthus macrocarpus, Uapaca vanhouttei, Uapaca guineensis, Allophylus africanus, Amphimas ferrugineus, Celtis gomphophylla and Petersianthus macrocarpus are the most cited as host plants of Imbrasia truncata, while Pentaclethra eetveldeana, Petersianthus macrocarpus, Ficus sp., Ricinodendron heudelottii are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia truncata (Figure 9), Photo A6.

[30] [31] on the species Petersianthus macrocarpus, Uapaca vanhouttei, Uapaca guineensis, Allophylus africanus, cited as host plants for edible caterpillars.

The leaves of Celtis gomphophylla, Maesobotrya vermeulenii, Ricinodendron heudelottii, Maesopsis eminii, Pycnanthus angolensis, Allophylus africanus and Entada abyssinica are the most cited as host plants of Imbrasia wahlbergii , while Holarrhena floribunda, Pentaclethra eetveldeana, Erythrophleum suaveolens, Milicia excelsa, are the host plants less cited of Imbrasia wahlbergii (Figure 10).

[5] [9] and [32] founded that the Celtis gomphophylla, Maesobotrya vermeulenii, are the most host plants of Imbrasia wahlbergii.

The leaves of Entandrophragma cylindricum, Albizia ferruginea, Petersianthus macrocarpus, Maesopsis eminii, Funtumia africana and Inga edulis are the most cited as host plants of Imbrasia oyemensis, while Pycnanthus angolensis, Dioscorea sp., Macaranga spinosa, Erythrophleum suaveolens and Holarrhena floribunda are the least cited host plants of Imbrasia oyemensis (Figure 11), Photo A7.

The work of [32] and [33] revealed that Entandrophragma cylindricum is the host Imbrasia oyemensis which is also subject to regional and international trade.

The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) carried out to assess the variability between the different species of caterpillars according to their host plants shows that the first two axes F1 and F2 explain 27.34% of the overall variability (Figure 12 and Figure 13). The different variables along the two factorial axes are weakly correlated. The caterpillar species Imbrasia truncata, Imbrasia epimethea, Imbrasia obscura, Imbrasia petiveri, Imbrasia forda and Imbrasia alopia have more host plant diversity than the caterpillar species: Imbrasia melanops, Imbrasia eblis, Imbrasia anthina, Imbrasia wahlbergii and Imbrasia oyemensis.