QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by HEATH, J. E. Articles by ADAMS, P. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by HEATH, J. E. Articles by ADAMS, P. A.

Journal of Experimental Biology 47,21-33 (1967)
Published by Company of Biologists 1967

Regulation of Heat Production by Large Moths

JAMES EDWARD HEATH ¹ and PHILLIP A. ADAMS ²

¹ Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
² Department of Biology, California State College, Fullerton, California

1. Moths ‘warm-up’ prior to flight at mean rates of 4.06° C./min. in Celerio lineata and 2.5° C./min. in Rothschildia jacobae. The abdominal temperature rises only 2-3° C. during activity.

2. Oxygen consumption of torpid sphinx moths increases by a factor of 2.27 as temperature changes from 26° to 36° C.

3. Oxygen consumption during ‘warm-up’ increases with duration of ‘warm-up’ from about 1000 µl./g. min during the initial 30 sec. to nearly 1600µl./g. min. during the 3rd min. This increase compensates for increasing heat loss from the thorax during ‘warm-up‘.

4. When the moths are regulating thoracic temperature, oxygen consumption increases with decreasing air temperature from a mean of about 400µl./g. min at 31° C. to about 650µl./g. min. at 26° C

5. Values of O₂ consumption calculated from the cooling curve of C. lineata are about 85% of the measured values of O₂ consumption.

6. The giant silk moth, Rothschildia jacobae, regulates thoracic temperature during activity between about 32° and 36° C. at ambient temperature from 17° to 29° C. Moths kept at high temperatures are active longer, have more periods of activity and expend more energy for thermoregulation than moths kept at low temperatures.

7. Large moths increase metabolism during active periods to offset heat loss and thereby maintain a relatively constant internal temperature. In this regard they may be considered endothermic, like birds and mammals.

8. We estimate that male moths use 10% of their stored fat for thermoregulation, while females may use 50%.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Heinrich Thermoregulation in Endothermic Insects Science, August 30, 1974; 185(4153): 747 - 756. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. Heinrich and P. H. Raven Energetics and Pollination Ecology Science, May 12, 1972; 176(4035): 597 - 602. [PDF]

				B. Heinrich Thoracic Temperature Stabilization byn Blood Circulation in a Free-Flying Moth Science, May 1, 1970; 168(3931): 580 - 582. [Abstract] [PDF]