Sexual Differential in Time of Hatch of Eggs of the Gypsy Moth

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Abstract
In nature, adult males of the gypsy moth, Porthetria dispar (L.), emerge first. The difference in time of emergence of males and females is less than would be predicted on the basis of laboratory studies on the rates of development of both sexes. This fact suggested that female larvae might hatch prior to male larvae. By collecting larvae as they hatched in nature, and rearing them in the laboratory, it was found that the first larvae to hatch were primarily females, the last primarily males. The earlier hatch of females might be a reflection of their faster rate of development. It is suggested that there might be some selective advantage for the differential in time of hatch of gypsy moth eggs to reduce the interval between adult male and female eclosion.

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