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Do caterpillars disperse their damage?: larval foraging behaviour of two specialist herbivores, Euphydryas phaeton (Nymphalidae) and Pieris rapae (Pieridae)
Author(s) -
MAURICIO RODNEY,
BOWERS M. DEANE
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
ecological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.865
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1365-2311
pISSN - 0307-6946
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1990.tb00796.x
Subject(s) - pieridae , biology , foraging , pieris rapae , caterpillar , nymphalidae , herbivore , ecology , larva , aposematism , lepidoptera genitalia , predation , predator
. 1. To examine ecological and evolutionary aspects of caterpillar foraging behaviour, this study focused on observation of the individual foraging behaviour of two lepidopteran species, Pieris rapae L. and Euphydryas phaeton (Drury), on their respective host plants. 2. Periodic observations over the course of a day showed that the larvae move considerable distances, forage on the upper surfaces of leaves, and often immediately leave areas from which they have fed, leaving a pattern of dispersed herbivory. 3. Differences in foraging behaviour were not found between the two species, even though one species is aposematic and the other is cryptically coloured, but there were significant differences in the foraging patterns of P.rapae on the two host plants, broccoli and radish.