Abstract
THE square case made by the female of Amicta quadrangularis for pupation offers a good example of the ability for accuracy. The case is about 1.1 inch long, and 0.2 to 0.3 square, formed of bits of grass stem broken off, and built in courses around the larva. The diagram (Fig. 1) shows the mean size of the pieces beginning at 0.2 inch, widening to 0.32, and tapering to 0.27. The lengths of stem used on different sides are distinguished by four directions of the cross strokes. It will be seen that the mean error, separately drawn below, begins at 0.02 and diminishes to 0.01, while the thickness of the stems varies from 0.04 to 0.02 inch. The larva, therefore, makes an average error of only one-half the thickness of the stem, and estimates the required length for the position usually to 0.01 inch, including the error of cutting; this precision is kept up for nearly a hundred repetitions. A few layers near the beginning are omitted, as they overlap so that the ends are not clear. The habitat is in the desert of South Palestine about ten miles south of Gaza.
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PETRIE, F. The Accuracy of a Moth. Nature 125, 928 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/125928c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/125928c0
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