How far can you go caterpillar? Observations on Uresiphita maorialis (Felder) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) larvae crawling away from their host plants in an urban setting

Abstract

Between October 2007 and March 2008, I carried out field observations and a semi-controlled pilot experiment to become familiar with the biological and phenological aspects of U. maorialis. In my observations, I noticed that U. maorialis last instar larvae tend to abandon their host plants before pupating, and, thus, it is common to see larvae crawling away from their host plants. I was interested in knowing how far from its host plant a larva could go before pupating. To that end, I carried out measures in controlled and semi-controlled conditions to evaluate the distance to which a larva could move away from its host plant to pupate. My observations indicate that larvae can move a wide range of distances, from a few centimetres to several meters, away from their host plants.