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Post by lordpandarus on May 22, 2012 16:38:31 GMT -8
What is the cause for an adult butterfly (or other insect) of the same species to be larger than others.
I've never thought about it , but is it how much the caterpillar ate and was allowed to grow before the pupae?
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Post by wollastoni on May 22, 2012 23:17:44 GMT -8
I think it is the main factor.
You often see that raised butterflies are often larger than wild specimens.
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Post by thanos on May 23, 2012 0:01:09 GMT -8
Nutrition is very important but there are also genetic and hormonic factors affecting the size. Btw, I think that usually bred specimens are smaller than wild ones, cause natural nutrition and conditions rarely are achieved 100%, however some bred beetles like Lucanidae or Dynastes get occasionally record sizes due to use of hormones (e.g increasing JH in larval/prepupal stage).
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Post by papilio28570 on May 23, 2012 22:01:09 GMT -8
It is definitely the quantity of food as well as the nutrient density of the food plant. I reared Luna Moths in late season when the majority of food available was frosted Sweet Gum which caused the leaves to be red-purple. The scarcity of food and poor quality caused very slow growth in the larvae and took a full three months to reach maturity. The following spring, the adults that emerged were substantially smaller than specimens I had reared previously. Some had a wingspan of just 2.5 inches.
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Post by africaone on May 23, 2012 22:17:26 GMT -8
quantity and quaility of food is the most obvious factor.
Temperature and hormonal regulation are related and important factors.
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Post by jackblack on May 25, 2012 0:50:19 GMT -8
Food plant has a great affect on butterfly growth.
Larva do much better on living plant material example sleeved on live trees in the garden or potted plants.Larva fed on cuttings are generally smaller but not always the case.
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Post by Adam Cotton on May 27, 2012 3:31:54 GMT -8
Another issue is availability of leaves. If there are too many larvae together on a plant they compete for leaves to eat and are smaller as a result. Similarly if a larva has to move a lot to find new leaves it will be smaller.
If larvae go without food for any reason they cannot make up for it by eating more later on. It's as if they are on a timer, as soon as the bell sounds they will pupate whether they have eaten enough or not.
Adam.
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Post by africaone on May 27, 2012 22:51:04 GMT -8
"It's as if they are on a timer, as soon as the bell sounds they will pupate whether they have eaten enough or not "
lack (or quality in more general POV) of food has consequence on the hormonal activity that tell what and when to do for the caterpillar.
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