Data from: Retrogressive moulting in khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

Insect larvae typically moult to grow, but here we investigate insect
larvae that moult to shrink; that is, retrogressive moulting or
retrogressive development. We demonstrate this phenomenon in the khapra
beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Dermestidae), among the world's
most invasive pests of stored grains and cereal products, and a quarantine
pest of interest for many countries. Larvae survived a 3‐month period of
starvation, moulting up to six times and reducing their body mass by about
half, on average. When reprovisioned with food, most larvae resumed the
normal trajectory of development and pupated within a month. Thus,
retrogressive development is a mechanism that may favour species whose
resources exhibit feast‐or‐famine dynamics. By enabling survival during
periods of privation, retrogressive development contributes to the
invasiveness of the khapra beetle by allowing them to persist for long
periods in empty storage facilities or empty containers used for
international grain shipments.