View article

Many morphological traits of adult insects show a plastic response to larval environmental conditions. Past studies of Lepidoptera, other than on irruptive species, focused on species with specific ecologies or life histories. These studies must be interpreted in the context of past selection associated with those specializations. Here, we examined the effects on adult morphology of quantitative dietary restriction in the late last instar of Speyeria mormonia Edwards (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiini). This univoltine species lives in open populations in montane meadows. Adults fed ad libitum as larvae on Viola sororia Willd. (Violaceae) were larger than those fed a restricted diet, for wet and dry body mass, dry mass of head, thorax, or abdomen, and forewing length. Females were larger than males for all but head mass. However, both males and individuals fed a restricted diet had a heavier head and thorax as a …