Effects of Ambient Temperature on Warm-Up in the Moth Hyalophora Cecropia

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Abstract
The rates of pre-flight warm-up in adult Hyalophora cecropia (mean weight 3.10g) were measured 24-36 h after eclosion at 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C in still air. 1. The rate of thoracic warm-up increased linearly with ambient temperature, averaging 2.6 °C/min at 15 °C and 6.5 °C/min at 30 °C. 2. Thoracic temperatures typically reached 37-39 °C while abdominal temperatures rarely rose more than 3 °C above ambient. 3. The cooling curves of the thorax at 15° and 25 °C were straight lines and had similar slopes on a semi-logarithmic plot. 4. Our data are compatible with the idea that heat production is dependent on thoracic temperature, and are incompatible with the theory that it depends on the difference between thoracic and ambient temperatures.

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