Kinship and cannibalism in the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella: Noevidence of kin discrimination

Generally, cannibals should avoid consuming related individuals so as to re duce indirect fitness costs. Here, I examine the effect of kinship on larva l cannibalism in the Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella. First, a seri es of 'no-choice' experiments was performed in which third instar larvae we re confined with either a second instar sibling or an unrelated second inst ar individual. Next, 'choice' experiments were performed in which third ins tar larvae were given the choice of a sibling or an unrelated individual, w ith all three individuals confined to one petri dish. The results from both experimental designs were consistent in that they showed no evidence that cannibals avoid siblings. Sibling cannibalism occured even when there was a choice of an unrelated individual. It is unclear whether this phenomenon i s adaptive.