STUDIES OF THE FEEDING ORIENTATION OF THE JACK PINE SAWFLY, NEODIPRION PRATTI BANKSIANAE ROH.

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Abstract
The heads of feeding larvae of the jack pine sawfly are consistently oriented towards the needle tips. This orientation is not obtained from the apically-directed needle teeth, and is found to be independent of gravity and of the flexibility of the foliage. Though light can act to disrupt the orientation, larvae adopt the orientation in darkness so that light cannot be postulated as an essential directive stimulus. The behavior is identified as a "free-end" response, and possible underlying mechanisms are discussed.