He documented that when the caterpillars had a poor springtime diet, they went into a stage of arrested development called diapause instead of growing into adults. (sciencemag.org)
Larvae remain in diapause for the rest of the summer and through the winter, and emerge to continue feeding in the spring. (parksconservancy.org)
Another analysis focused on the patterns of gene activation during diapause, which the embryos of N. furzeri may undergo during the dry seasons. (sciencedaily.com)