Food deprivation and the regulation of meal size in larvae of Chrysopa carnea

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Abstract
The course of repletion and the effects of food deprivation on meal size were explored in three experiments on larvae of Chrysopa carnea (Neuroptera). Feeding to repletion was found to occur within the first 30 min of exposure to food. Meal size increased as an ogival function of deprivation, up to the limit of gut capacity. Behavioural components involved in the initiation of feeding were little affected by deprivation and did not appear to be inhibited by distention of the gut. Termination of a meal may be mediated by the stimulation of prey‐release behaviour, rather than by inhibition of feeding.