Abstract
The feeding behavior of Bombyx mori larvae deprived of food after the fourth ecdysis was analyzed by recording temporal feeding patterns over a 3-h period to determine the effects of different foods (mulberry leaves and artificial diets) and food experiences up until the fourth instar. Log-survivorship analyses of the gap length between feedings, in which the data were pooled for each experimental group, revealed that bout criteria classifying between intra- and inter-meal gaps were longer in larvae with different food experiences. Although the change in slope in plots of feeding length was not particularly prominent, a minor change was observed in larvae with different food experiences, suggesting a period of food evaluation prior to eating. The total time spent feeding per meal and inter-meal interval were longer in larvae tested with mulberry leaves than in those tested with an artificial diet. Larvae having different feeding experiences had fewer meals,
longer feeding times per meal, and a longer first inter-meal interval. These differences are likely due to nutrient feedback, which was monitored under each experimental condition. The results suggest that food sources and experiences can affect the temporal patterns of feeding behavior and meal characteristics. These characteristics may be useful in investigating the adaptive mechanisms of feeding behavior, even in a monophagous species such as B. mori.
