Abstract
1. The giant leopard moth ( Ecpantheria scribonia) caterpillars were collected during October in Pennsylvania (USA) in order to measure indicators of cold hardiness. 2. The supercooling point rose 2–4 °C with cold acclimation (3 °C) but this change missed statistical significance ( P = 0.0653 ). Hemolymph osmolality and glycerol also rose over 50% and 4.5×, respectively. 3. All caterpillars initially survived freezing at −3 °C for 5 days but just under 30% survived to adulthood. 4. Ecpantheria scribonia may have a lower level of cold hardiness than other arctiid moth caterpillars (e.g. Pyrrharctia isabella), reflecting interspecific latitudinal distribution patterns.
Published Version
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