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Web-spinning caterpillar stalks snails.

Daniel Rubinoff¹, William P Haines

¹310 Gilmore Hall, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, 3050 Maile Way, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. rubinoff@hawaii.edu

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|July 26, 2005

Summary

A unique Hawaiian caterpillar has evolved to prey on snails, using silk to immobilize its prey. This unusual predatory behavior challenges our understanding of lepidopteran feeding habits and evolution.

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Area of Science:

Zoology
Evolutionary Biology
Entomology

Background:

Moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) are highly diverse insects, predominantly herbivorous.
Predatory feeding habits are rare in caterpillars, observed in less than 0.2% of species.
Lepidopteran diets are generally considered evolutionarily constrained.

Purpose of the Study:

To document and describe a novel predatory feeding strategy in a Hawaiian caterpillar.
To investigate the evolutionary implications of a caterpillar specializing on a unique prey source (snails).

Main Methods:

Field observation of caterpillar behavior in Hawaii.
Analysis of the feeding strategy, including the use of silk to restrain prey.

Main Results:

A Hawaiian caterpillar species was identified that preys on snails.
This caterpillar utilizes silk secretions to restrain live snail prey, a previously undocumented feeding mechanism.
This predatory behavior represents a significant deviation from typical lepidopteran feeding strategies.

Conclusions:

The evolution of snail predation in caterpillars is an anomaly, likely driven by Hawaii's unique ecological conditions.
Island isolation and disharmonic biota may foster unusual evolutionary adaptations, such as this predatory caterpillar.
This finding expands the known range of feeding behaviors within the order Lepidoptera.

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