Most relatively small fruit species are of great environmental importance because they are the food of many endemic birds and mammals, especially in Islands, and premontane and montane forests. The leaves of "Ocotea" species are the food source for the caterpillars of several species of endemic Lepidoptera, including several species of "Memphis". Some "Memphis" caterpillars feed solely on the leaves of one species of "Ocotea"; for example "M. mora" feeds only on "O. cernua", and "M. boisduvali" feeds only on "O. veraguensis"