Mastodawn

#Manducasexta is a moth of the family Sphingidae present through much of the Americas. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum

Animal Toy Blog Oct 21, 2024

Tobacco Hornworm (Accoutrements)

Mosura ya MosuraMosura ya MosuraMosura ya Mosura

Hard to believe my first two Halloween-inspired posts this year would be sphingid moths, not a group of animals typically associated with being scary, spooky, or dangerous. But after having very recently acquired this big bad beast, I had to channel my inner Shobijin and summon it for the Blog! I am referring to the larva of a tobacco hornworm […]

#Manduca #ManducaSexta #tobaccoHornworm #AccoutrementsArchieMcPhee

Tobacco Hornworm (Accoutrements) – Animal Toy Blog

michael Jun 29, 2023

Always good to read about #ManducaSexta, although the mystery stated here isn't one in my opinion, it's just the plant's defence mechanism.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/993988 #science #ecology #TobaccoHornworm #ChemicalEcology

Architects of their own destruction: why do tobacco hornworm caterpillars attract their own predators?

The relationship between caterpillars and plants is incredibly complex and can give rise to fascinating mysteries. One such conundrum involves tobacco hornworm caterpillars and their interaction with the plants on which they feed, which seems, at first glance, to make no sense. Why do these caterpillars cause the plant they are feeding on to send signals which attract their natural predators? Scientists at the University of Amsterdam have now been able to provide new insights into this unusual connection. Their research was published today in Nature Communications.

EurekAlert!