Chemical marker from silk ofYponomeuta cagnagellus.

Trail following in lepidopterous larvae is often attributed to chemical markers, but only a few clear-cut examples are found in the literature. In this paper evidence is presented for a chemical basis of the trail following behaviour ofYponomeuta cagnagellus. (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) The marker is shown to be very persistent under laboratory conditions and is water soluble. Several possible secretory sites were investigated, and it is concluded that the marker is probably secreted together with the silk from the labial gland. Problems associated with the demonstration of trail markers in caterpillars are discussed.