The effects of a phagostimulant and a deterrent on the microstructure of feeding by Manduca sexta caterpillars*

Caterpillars of the hawkmoth Manduca sexta Johan. (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) were offered discs of agar containing one of a range of concentrations of sucrose or of quinine, and the microstructure of the resulting feeding behaviour was quantified. As sucrose concentration increased caterpillars ate more by increasing the rate of biting and the lengths of meals. Bite frequency increased, after a latency of seconds to minutes, over the entire range tested (0.005 M to 0.5 M) whereas meal length reached a maximum at 0.1 M. Larvae spent less time feeding on agar containing 1 mM quinine than on quinine‐free agar. This was accomplished by a reduction in the size of meals; numbers of chewing bouts in meals were lower. No other feeding behaviours were affected. In addition there was no orderly relationship between quinine concentration and changes in feeding behaviours. These observations suggested that postingestive effects were important in decreasing feeding.