Introduction – Caterpillars as Focal Study Organisms

Here, we introduce the concept of “caterpillars in the middle”, a theme echoed throughout the chapters of this book. Caterpillars must deal with plant defenses while at the same escape the life threatening impact of their natural enemies, predators, parasitoids, and disease. We foreshadow the multitude of topics to be covered in this compendium, including adaptation, behavior, defenses, evolution, morphology, physiology, and conservation. We reflect on how the work of early natural historians led to our greater understanding of Lepidoptera life histories. We finish by paying homage to many published works in this field that have given rise to the work of scientists contributing to this volume and explain how this book came to be.