We used classical culture techniques to explore gut bacteria and changes associated with dietary change in the highly polyphagous, tropical caterpillar Automeris zugana (Saturniidae). Fifty-five third instar wild-caught sibs feeding on Annona purpurea (Annonaceae) in the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica were divided into eight groups. Each of seven groups was rea...

A caterpillar is a tree which metamorphoses into a path when its cocoon of endpoInt\ is removed. The number of nonisomorphic caterpillars with n + 4 points is 2n + 2 [n/21 . This neat formula is proved in two ways: first, as a special caoe of an application of Pblya’s enumerration theorem which counts graphs with integer-weightell points; secondly, 3y an appropriate labeling of the lines of the...

Lepidoptera (moths, butterflies, and caterpillars) are an uncommon cause of adverse reactions in humans. Most reactions to Lepidoptera are mild and self-limited; however, reactions in sensitive individuals and reactions to particular species can be severe and life threatening. Specific syndromes caused by Lepidoptera include erucism (cutaneous reactions from contact with caterpillars, moths, or...

More than half of the proteome from mandibular glands in caterpillars is represented by chemosensory proteins. Based on sequence similarity, these proteins are putative transporters of ligands to gustatory receptors in sensory organs of insects. We sought to determine whether these proteins are inducible by comparing, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the salivary (mandibular and labial) p...

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. genotypes limited in their ability to mount either octadecanoid-dependent induced resistance (IR(-)) or systemic acquired resistance (SAR(-)) were used to characterize the roles of these pathways in plant-herbivore interactions. Molecular and biochemical markers of IR were analysed in plants subject to herbivory by caterpillars of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera e...

Climate is widely recognized as an important factor that affects temporal and spatial patterns of occurrence and abundance of herbivorous insects, although the ecological mechanisms responsible are poorly understood. We found that precipitation and standing water were positively correlated with locations and years of high abundance of caterpillars of the ranchman's tiger moth, Platyprepia virgi...

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects, with more than 180,000 species word-wide, showing larval stages of butterflies and moths known as wormlike caterpillars. Almost 12 families of butterflies around the world are capable of causing severe human injuries, varying from dermatitis, renal failure, hemostatic alterations, respiratory failure and neurotoxic symptoms. These caterpillars are coated...

European populations of the Large Blue Butterfly Maculinea arion have experienced severe declines in the last decades, especially in the northern part of the species’ range. This endangered lycaenid butterfly needs two resources for development: flower buds of specific plants (Thymus spp., Origanum vulgare), on which young caterpillars briefly feed, and red ants of the genus Myrmica, whose nest...

The caterpillars of the butterfly Methona themisto (Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae) are conspicuously coloured and feed exclusively on Brunfelsia uniflora (Solanaceae), a plant that is rich in secondary plant substances, which suggests the caterpillars are chemically protected against predators. Results of experiments indicate that predators determine the survival of Methona themisto caterpillars in t...

Timber is a two player game played on a directed graph, with a domino on each arc. The direction of the arc indicates the direction in which the domino can be initially toppled. If one domino is toppled, it topples the dominoes in the direction it was toppled and creates a chain reaction. The goal of this game is to topple all the dominoes and the player who topples the last dominoes wins. A P ...