Dr Lyn Cook1, Mr Harry Gordon

1School of the Environment, The University of QLD, Brisbane, Australia

Biography:

Lyn is an academic at UQ who studies insects and plants in Australia.

Abstract:

The Australian processionary caterpillar, Ochrogaster lunifer, is so-called because caterpillars form a line to move from their nest to feeding sites in their host plant canopy, and to move from their nest to pupation sites in the soil. Until now, no one has determined whether it is the same caterpillar that leads the feeding procession each night or whether the leader varies randomly. Here, we report on experiments that answer this question by monitoring nests on consecutive nights using fluorescent powders to identify individual caterpillars. We also assess whether there are characteristics of individual caterpillars that correlate with their being a leader.