Larval Arrest in Development of Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Arrested larval development (in the last larval instar) of part of the total larval population has been detected in moderately crowded situations (40 larvae in 2 g food) in Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) cultures This phenomenon is the same found previously in highly crowded cultures of Drosophila melanogaster (Meigen) and other related species. The arrest may be viewed as a mechanism of physiological adaptation of organisms to competitive situations.