Instar-determination
Guides
Rhyacionia rigidana
Pitch Pine Tip Moth
A small tortricid moth whose larvae are specialized feeders on pine shoots. The species has been studied for its larval development, with five instars confirmed through morphometric analysis of head capsule widths. Common name references its association with pitch pine (Pinus rigida).
Sciodrepoides watsoni
Sciodrepoides watsoni is a small (~3 mm) brown necrophagous beetle in the family Leiodidae with Holarctic distribution. It is notable for its utility in forensic entomology, where thermal summation models for its development have been established to estimate post-mortem intervals. The species completes development through egg, three larval instars, and pupa to adult, with head capsule width serving as the most reliable character for instar determination. It has been successfully reared in laboratory conditions at temperatures between 15°C and 25°C.