why caterpillars eat their eggshells

[Ron Gatrelle]

Carnivorous and/or cannibalistic behavior is a fairly frequent thing with
larvae. I have often wondered if the base chemicals in plants that trigger
the species specific "this is your host plant, eat it" response are so
present in sibling larvae that this chemical induced "eat it" response is
what triggers some cannibalism? Since so many species will starve before
eating a non specific plant - why will they then eat flesh. I have found in
rearing Mitoura hesseli and gryneus that they will eat smaller larvae well
into late instars. If they are all the same size there is little problem.
Also how many species will eat the larvae of different species?

 -- Now I'm hungry. So off to dinner with the wife and then a movie.
Crouching Tiger or Traffic?  Let's see.... movie.... wife. Humm. Crouching
tiger it is. Mary Beth, Liz, Anne, etc. - Is this the correct choice?
RG

----- Original Message -----
From: "rudy benavides" <rbenavid at hotmail.com>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 1:40 PM
Subject: Re: why caterpillars eat their eggshells


> Some caterpillars will also eat 1st instars that are on their host plant.
>
> Rudy Benavides
> Maryland
>
>
>
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