help - I need leaves!!!

[Neil Jones]

On Thursday 11 April 2002 03:06 pm, Nigel Venters wrote:
> Neil wrote:
> >I suspect that moving the larvae onto a different hostplant may not be a
> > good 
> >idea. It depends on the species but some don''t cope with a change well.
> >Bombyx mori the "true" silkworm for example  is reputed to be able to
>> survive on wilted lettuce but once put on Mulberry it won't go back on 
>  Lettuce.
>
>
>
.>Neil...have you tried this
> experiment....and found that the larvae will definitely not accept Lettuce
> after eating Mulberry leaves? Or is it just hearsay and speculation on your
> behalf? How about some examples of species from your own breeding when the
> foodplant change was not accepted?
> Nigel

I am suprised you ask the question since logically you should know the 
answer already. I said "Bombyx mori the "true" silkworm for example  is 
reputed to be able to survive on wilted lettuce ..." Note "reputed to"
The clear implication is that I haven't tried it or I wouldn't have used that 
phrase.

I did once have a small batch of  larvae of Actias luna the Indian Moon Moth 
die on me after I changed from one kind of willow to another. However this is 
hardly scientific since I didn't exclude any other variables. It could have 
been contaminated foodplant or they might have died anyway.

Lepidoptera being fussy about their foodplants is quite well documented.
One species of Checkerspot has been shown to discriminate between invisibly
different strains of the same plant. This doesn't mean it happens all the 
time but it can happen.

--
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.butterflyguy.com/
NOTE NEW WEB ADDRESS
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve

 
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