140 
Psyche 
[March 
remaining nymphs dispersed within a minute and walked past her. 
Lead nymphs stopped at a petiole 12 inches from the original site. 
After nymphs dispersed from the petiole, the female followed them 
up the branch, but then returned to the original site where 2 nymphs 
remained. After a total of 10 minutes, all nymphs were on 9 leaves 
on 3 different shoots. During the next 8 minutes, the female walked 
back and forth at the original site before moving to the main 
branch. Nymphs were still on several leaves but several groups were 
increasing to the point where 1 leaf had 29 of the 56 nymphs. In the 
next 70 minutes, the female repeatedly twisted laterally or walked 
up and down the branch and nymphs continued to consolidate into 
larger groups. Three groups were formed, one at the tip of shoot, 
one at its base, and one on the next shoot up the branch. The female 
after this period positioned herself below the group of nymphs at the 
base of the shoot. These nymphs then moved to the tip of the shoot, 
followed by the female. Within 2 min, all but 2 nymphs from the 
shoot above joined the aggregation. This aggregation then remained 
in the same place for 24 hours. 
Single females on eggs or with offspring were typically the only 
conspecifics on most host plants. However, 1 host plant about 6 feet 
high had 2 females with offspring which were observed daily for 9 
consecutive days. Initially, the eggs of 1 female had just hatched and 
nymphs had lined up along the midrib of a mature leaf, while the 
2nd female with 50 1st instars was located on the same trunk, but 12 
inches below the leaf with the 1st female. During the next 24 hr, 
nymphs with the 2nd female moved 2 feet up the trunk to new leaves 
on the apical shoot. The 1st female and her 60 nymphs moved off 
the leaf to the trunk while 10 nymphs remained on the leaf petiole. 
On the 3rd day of observation, both females and their broods had 
merged together on the terminal growth tip where they remained for 
the next 5 days. On 2 separate days during this 5-day period, leaves 
were touched with a pencil, triggering immediate movement of 
several nymphs down the petiole toward the females. One or both 
females responded to these nymphs by lateral twisting, back and 
forth walking, or walking backwards. In both trials, some nymphs 
went past females, but others which followed were stopped by 
tapping movements made by a female’s prothoracic legs. In neither 
trial was there massive dispersal and within 5 min., all nymphs had 
reaggregated at the original site. 
