VARIATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL CHANGE IN ACTIVITY OF GREGARIOUS CATERPILLARS, HEMILEUCA LUCINA (SATURNIIDAE)

The authors' objective was to examine individual variation in activity, using distance traveled as an index, in larvae of Hemileuca lucina . Specifically (1) whether larvae were consistently slow, fast or intermediate travelers relative to the group when tested several times within an instar, (2) whether patterns of larval activity (as measured by relative distance traveled) were consistent across instars, and (3) whether larval activity was correlated with larval weight.