Abstract
A simple new method for the study of feeding behavior in the fly Ceratitis capitata is presented, consisting of 22 h of food deprivation and 2 h of food availability. During the latter period the number of flies feeding is counted every 5 min. Results showed that the animals learned to ingest all the food they needed during the 2 h, with a feeding pattern in which the number of flies feeding on a white diet increased in the beginning of the 2-h period and gradually decreased towards the end of it. They also showed that the flies demonstrated a preference for feeding on a red diet (with the same pattern as for the white diet) rather than on a green diet (which did not result in the feeding pattern of an increased number of flies feeding at the beginning of the session and a decreased number at the end). The data suggest this method can be used in a variety of situations in which ingestion is involved.
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We thank Fernando S. Zucoloto for his helpful comments during the preparation of the manuscript.
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PantaleÃO, G., Morato, S. A new method for the study of feeding behavior in the fly Ceratitis capitata . Bull. Psychon. Soc. 27, 274–276 (1989). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334605
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334605