Paper, 'The experimental proof that the colours of certain Lepidopterous larvae are largely due to modified plant pigments derived from food' by Edward Bagnall Poulton

Description

Poulton writes: 'In a paper printed in the 'Proceedings of the Royal Society’ for 1885 (pp. 269—315) [see PP/6/29], I brought forward many reasons for regarding certain elements of the colouring of Lepidopterous larvæ as modified chlorophyll derived from the food plant. For this altered pigment the name metachlorophyll was suggested (loc. cit., p. 270). Many other observations, subsequently made, supported the same conclusion; but it was not until the summer of last year (1892) that I was able successfully to carry out the critical experiment, viz., selecting a species of larva which normally eats green leaves, to feed it from the egg upon parts of the plant from which all colouring matter is absent.'

Annotations in pencil and ink.

Subject: Lepidopterology

Received 12 May 1893. Read 8 June 1893.

A version of this paper was published in volume 54 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'The experimental proof that the colours of certain Lepidopterous larvæ are largely due to modified plant pigments derived from food'.

Reference number

PP/22/27

Earliest possible date

1893

Physical description

Ink and graphite pencil on paper

Page extent

13 pages