why caterpillars eat their eggshells

[Nick Greatorex-Davies]

Here in the UK we have at least one species, the Lobster Moth,
Stauropus fagi - Notodontidae, which, to quote The Moths and
Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Volume 9: " On hatching, the
first instar larva is ant-like and feeds solely on its eggshell, this
instar being of nine days' duration". Elsewhere I have read that this
species (and I think some other species) die if they are deprived of
their eggshell.

Nick Greatorex-Davies
CEH Monks Wood, UK


>>> John Grehan <jrg13 at psu.edu> 30/03/01 04:16:37 >>>

>Please straighten this out.... why DO they eat their eggshells?

Probably for the same reason we eat anything at all. There is an
object that fulfulls a physiological requirement - hunger. Those
caterpillars are of such a physionlogy that they respond to the
egg shell as food and thus they eat. This may result in
nutritional or microbial benefit, but I am not aware that
the caterpillars take action with this or any other result
in mind.

John Grehan


 
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